


Make Me Beg

by LaDeeDa



Series: The Mates Trilogy [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha - Freeform, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BDSM, Blowjobs, Bondage, Bondage and Discipline, Consent Issues, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Dominant, Dominatrix, Dubious Consent, F/F, F/M, Fingerfucking, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Gay, Gay Sex, Hardcore, Lesbian, Lesbian Sex, M/M, Master/Pet, Master/Slave, Multiple Couples, Multiple Orgasms, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Relationships, NSFW, Nipple Play, Omega Verse, Omegaverse, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Original work - Freeform, Punishment, Questionable Consent, Rough Sex, Sex, Sex Toys, Smut, Soulmates, Spanking, Submissive, Submissives, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Vaginal Fingering, Vampire Sex, Vampires, Were-Creatures, Werewolf Mates, Werewolf Sex, Werewolves, explicit - Freeform, handjobs, in some places, noncon, queer, so much sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2018-12-05 00:37:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 91,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11566683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaDeeDa/pseuds/LaDeeDa
Summary: This story surrounds the relationship of Cassie, a female submissive and Karliah, a trans female, dominant alpha.It also features multiple other couples including Sam, a male submissive omega and Markus, a male dominant alpha.Cassie has barely been at the academy for a day before she is bent over a desk and spanked by her alpha mate, Karliah. The name makes her spine tingle and her skin flush - and she hates it. She can barely protect her omega best friend from dominant wolves - but now she needs to protect herself from one of the strongest, her own mate. When things finally start to go right for the pair, another player enters the game and Cassie struggles with her inner wolf's inability to tell her mate from a menace.For artwork and updates on Make Me Beg, check out my tumblr: Ladeeda-Writes





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Reading Make Me Beg is similar to reading The Colour Purple, you watch the narrator's spelling, punctuation and grammar progress dramatically as the story continues. So please don't judge the whole story on the imperfect chapters at the start.

Cassie couldn't contain her excitement, she finally felt like she was becoming an adult. 

She was finally getting out of human high school - leaving the cramped hallways, boring lessons and most of all the weak, smelly humans behind! It was September and she was going into Year 12 but this year it would be at the academy. The academy was all wolves, just like her. They came from all the surrounding areas to attend and there were many of these schools scattered across the country. Because once a wolf turned 16, they could sense their mate - and Cassie was actually quite excited to find hers... She didn't know if it was because it was her first day and she felt excited about that too but she couldn't help but wonder if they would be there today... Maybe that would be too good to be true but it was a nice thought - and highly possible!

See, that's why they started the academy a few decades ago, the more wolves you're around the higher the chance of finding your mate, and that's everyone's goal eventually... Plus by putting them all together they could be taught the ways of dominance and submission. 

Cassie was a submissive, she didn't get a choice - it was just who she was, and anyone could smell it on her. But she didn't mind, there were some that fought it and claimed to be a switch but no one really believed that was a thing, you couldn't be both - it was just how you were born! 

There was definitely a hierarchy though, and it went:

\- Alpha Dominants - (Leaders of packs or soon to be leaders of packs, the strongest wolves and only one per pack)

\- Beta Dominants - (Right hands of the Alpha, two per pack)

\- Dominants - (Regular Dominants)

\- Submissives - (Regular Submissives)

\- Omega Submissives - (The smallest member of the pack, usually given chores to do instead of hunting, the weakest wolves and only one per pack)

Every submissive wanted a strong mate to protect them but Cassie didn't mind, she just wanted someone who she could sit and cuddle with in her pajamas, who would give her secret kisses and just treat her with respect... If she found them at the academy it would be like something out of a movie... Ew? Since when was she a romantic? The excitement was clearly getting to her head...

Anyway, she stopped fantasising about her cliche fateful meeting with her mate to finish getting ready. She had showered and put mousse in her hair to let her big bouncy curls naturally unfold while she put on a bit of makeup but now she was done she slipped on a pastel pink skater dress over her lacy underwear, pulled up white frilled socks and added pale pink low converse. After a quick pat down of her backpack to make sure she had everything she needed and running her fingers through her hair to separate some of her curls - she was ready to go!

Once she reached the front door Cassie waited with the other kids from her pack that had their first day at the academy, standing beside her best friend Sam. He was a thin and bony submissive with big eyes and pouty lips - he was adorable and she made sure to tell him often. He was also the omega of the pack.

"Are you nervous?" He asked, gripping the bottom of his oversized hoodie.

"No! I'm looking forward to it too much! We'll finally be among our kind all day! We can just be ourselves - isn't that great?!" She beamed at him and gave his hair a ruffle, "Don't worry - this is going to be fun".

"But think how many doms are gonna be there..." He mumbled, Cassie could understand worrying about that - a lot of doms liked to pick on subs, they already got to take what they wanted and act above you if they felt like it but some liked to take it further with pranks and teasing. Cassie hadn't experienced it that much but she had spent quite a bit of her time defending Sam. Boys took more of the brunt since they were seen as less masculine, and being an omega on top of that really sealed Sam's fate.

"Haven't I always stood up for you?" She asked, still smiling.

"Yes..." He looked away and she grabbed his hand,

"And haven't I always stood by your side?" Her smile got wider as she pressed her forehead against his, he couldn't help but let a small smile slip onto his face,

"Yeah" 

"And you will always have me - so let's go have fun!" She felt almost hyper with excitement but she would be walking through the main gates soon and she couldn't wait.


	2. CHAPTER 2

Sam and Cassie had been lucky enough to be put in most of the same classes, their eyes scanned over their schedules in the huge hall - a sigh of relief slipping past Sam's lips.

"See! We're gonna be together almost all the time - and you'll make lots of other friends too" Cassie beamed and Sam finally gave her a full relaxed smile.

"Thanks Cass, you're the best" he said, folding up the piece of paper to slide it into his own bag. 

The hall they were gathered in was so big but they needed the room as teachers attempted to organise all the new students into the right groups and give them all the information they needed. The smell was overpowering and both Sam and Cassie had to hold back from covering their noses, so many wolves in one place and such a mixture of different scents.

"Wow, I can't believe how many subs I can smell!" Sam sounded pleased as he looked around to see the slightly smaller wolves scurrying around,

"Or it could be one really big stinky sub!" Cassie winked and he let out a small laugh. It was nice to see him more relaxed, Cassie worried about him a lot and was glad his birthday had come so soon - he needed a mate to protect him and she prayed they were good to him because it was a lot of work to keep him safe. Not that she begrudged him for it, she loved him to bits. She grabbed his hand suddenly, dragging his attention from staring at all the other subs, "Come on, we've got ten minutes till our first class starts - let's make sure we get there early so we can sit together!" 

He nodded and they skirted round the edge of the room, pushing through the double doors to begin searching for the right room.

~

Their first few lessons were normal human-type lessons, pretty boring but they got to be together and there weren't many Dominants in their classes - maybe that was done on purpose but Cassie didn't know for sure. By the time they got to lunch they had made a few 'friends' although they hadn't known them longer than one lesson each but they all took their lunch outside to get some sunshine and lie down on the grass. Their whole first day was pretty chilled out and Cassie was glad, it left Sam much less jittery and he was able to enjoy being with his kind. But it was the last lesson of the day that Cassie was looking forward to: DSH Ed. Which stood for Dominant/Submissive Health Education. 

Like sex ed but they would get to learn about marks and collars and stuff - the kind of things the older wolves didn't really discuss with the younger ones but they knew bits and pieces. This was where they would learn about finding mates too... This was sure to be the highlight of the day!

~

Eventually they found it, or rather - they found the crowd outside it and as soon as they got within a few metres Cassie could smell an alpha, the scent over powered all the other wolves around them, even the Dominants, and it made Sam stiffen slightly. 

"It's okay" she murmured, "Let's just wait to the side". He nodded and they stood by some lockers, whispering amongst themselves for a few minutes until the teacher came booming through - and when I say that I mean because he could clear the hallway with just his voice.

"Get away from the door!" He shouted, the Dominants looked annoyed and stepped aside but the Submissives all jumped and scurried away. Once it was unlocked there was a stampede to get inside and get seats - with the Dominants merely lifting some Submissives out of chairs and moving them to different seats. This annoyed Cassie to no end and she decided she would sit right where she saw a dominant about to plonk her butt.

"Don't do it" Sam whispered, he could see what she was thinking and the glint in her eyes - Cassie didn't like injustice and she didn't like to be pushed around even if she was a sub. She forced her way past a few people and managed to slide into the single desk just seconds before the dominant got there. She looked up with a triumphant grin - only then she smelt it, Alpha. 

Standing above her was a tall, heavily muscled woman with long dirty blonde hair in a French braid that ran down between her shoulder blades. She had piercing grey eyes and a look of thunder on her face as she crouched down to Cassie's eye level.

"You did that on purpose" she said in a loud, firm voice. Cassie could feel her wolf tremble, she wanted to just bare her neck in apology and scram but she just couldn't bring herself to, it was usually the alpha's that had too much pride but it seemed today that Cassie did too. She looked straight into those stormy eyes and spoke,

"So what? I got here first" and turned her head away to look forward where the teacher was sitting on the edge of his desk, watching intently. She realised then that everyone else was sitting down and watching too. The alpha leaned closer to her face, breathing just below Cassie's ear deliberately tickling her throat to make her spine shiver and her toes curl. 

"Move" 

Cassie jumped a little at the softness of the word but held her ground,

"There are other seats, go sit in one of those" She never turned to the other girl, never gave her a look - maybe she was being disrespectful in that way but maybe she was also just worried those eyes would send her scurrying away with her tail between her legs.

"Was that an order?" Cassie could practically hear the smirk in her voice, a hand sliding along her thigh and gripping it tightly, causing her legs to tremble. The Dominants were all enjoying the show but the subs were holding their breath, some even whining a little or hiding their eyes. You didn't cross an alpha. 

Cassie needed to apologise, to bare her neck and submit and walk away. But she was in too deep now.

"Yep" was all she said, still refusing to turn and face the alpha who was literally breathing down her neck. A small chuckle burst from beside her and suddenly she was in the air and over the alpha's shoulder. It happened so fast it took her a moment to process what was happening! 

"P-Put me down! You troll! Inbred! Bit-" Cassie didn't get to finish as the alpha landed a swat on her backside. It stung and she knew there must be a red splotch blossoming on the check - this girl was strong and Cassie sure as hell felt it! She jumped and scowled, the alpha had been about to move her to a different chair - but now the disrespect was on another level and she knew she was going to be punished. Generally alphas couldn't punish people from other packs... But Cassie had just called her a troll... Things weren't looking good as the alpha stormed out the door, pulling it closed behind her. Cassie pounded her tiny fists on the broad back of the alpha as she was carried away to an empty room and dumped on a long desk. 

"Wait there" the alpha put force into their tone and she couldn't disobey, lying sprawled on the desk with her panties on show. The door was closed, the blind pulled down and locked before the blonde returned to Cassie and flipped her onto her back and leaned over her. "Did you think that was funny?" She barked, pulling Cassie up by the front of her dress.

"N-no" Cassie whispered. "I-I jus-" 

"I didn't ask for an excuse, that was a yes or no question" The alpha looked furious, they do not like to be disrespected. "I will punish you, but you're lucky I'm doing it in private - I should have thrown over my knees in front of all of them!" She snarled. 

"What? A-am I supposed t-to thank you?" Cassie tried to be sarcastic but she couldn't help stuttering. Dominants had such control over Submissives bodies, their smell alone could buckle knees sometimes. And an alpha radiating this kind of anger had her body trembling.

"Oh? So you want to go back in there?" The blonde was right in her face and all she could do was shake her head, no. She couldn't face that humiliation. "Fine, get off the desk and bend over it" she ordered and began rummaging in the drawers looking for something. Cassie knew that anymore fighting would only make this worse, she had never been punished before (Aside from being grounded or given extra chores but that was minor compared to the stuff she had seen other people get) and didn't want to start now but there was no escape - she may be smaller and faster but this was an alpha. 

Cassie climbed off the desk and bent over it awkwardly, not really sure what she was doing but when the alpha pulled out a long plastic ruler from the drawer, she really started to shift and tremble. The blonde walked towards her agonisingly slowly, assessing her and causing a blush to creep up the smaller girls neck at being surveyed like a piece of meat. After a minute or two she grabbed Cassie's hips and corrected her position - she had clearly done this to someone before! Arms on the desk, head bent down in respect and apology, curved back and hips up with her bottom sticking out and her dress riding up. 

She felt so embarrassed but at least she could hide her face in her arms... The alpha sighed.

"I'll give you a light punishment this time, little one" She lifted Cassie's skirt up a little more, "But don't cross me again" She murmured, the threat causing another shiver down Cassie's spine that she was sure the blonde girl saw. 

And with that the first hit came, the ruler gave a sharp pain that made her jump but didn't last long, still a gasp was ripped from her lips at the feeling.

"Count" was the order, but Cassie didn't understand,

"Count?" She looked up, breaking her positioning, her eyes wide and curious.

"Count as you are spanked, if you miss a number we repeat until you say it - so the better you behave the quicker this can be over" she smirked again, Cassie hated that smirk already. But she didn't have time to think about it as another blow landed right in the centre of her backside and she yelped, jumping forwards. "Count!" The alpha barked at her.

"O-one" She whispered.

Another hit, this time just on the left cheek and again Cassie jumped, her legs clamping together.

"Two-ooh!" She moaned with the third hit and stiffened as she realised she was getting wet. Could the alpha tell? Could she smell it? Cassie began to panic as she felt the heat between her legs, not realising she hadn't counted her third hit. When the next one landed it snapped her back to reality with a gasp,

"Four!" Her voice was a gasp, breathing heavily.

"No, you missed three, little one" The stern voice came from behind her and she whined like a puppy, hiding her face again.

"Three?"

It continued like this for fifteen minutes, blows raining down as Cassie whimpered and moaned and miscounted, a lot of times. But the worst part was her arousal, she couldn't even hide it by the 13th hit her panties were soaked and she had completely submitted. Pressing herself against the desk and presenting herself to the alpha. This clearly satisfied them, and when the spanking was over, Cassie sunk to the floor trembling.

"You're all done, that was a bit messy but you got the hang of it... eventually" The alpha chuckled, crouching on her heels beside Cassie's heap of a body, clinging to the desk. 

She watched the smaller girl for a bit, gasping breaths and trembling limbs calling her to take pity on her.

"Come here" the alpha sighed, pulling her into her lap and crossing her legs on the floor. Cassie was leant sideways in her arms, her bum sticking out so the alpha could rub and squeeze it, massaging away the sting. Cassie wanted to push her away and get mad, to tell her she was crazy if she though she could feel her up after beating her butt blue... But it felt so good and her wolf was practically purring inside of her... She sniffled a little, trying not to cry - that would just end it for her! But she managed to keep it together and just sink into the alphas arms, resting her head in the crook of her elbow. She could feel something hard pressing into her side but she ignored it, it was probably just a pointy zipper on her trousers.

She didn't know how long they stayed on the floor like that but she was dozing in and out and just before she finally nodded off she asked,

"Alpha?" 

"Mmm?" 

"What's your name?" She spoke softly and at first wasn't sure if she had been heard. She didn't even know why she was so curious but she just wanted to know... There was a low chuckle and then,

"It's Karliah. Don't forget it kiddo, I'm not letting you out of my sight".


	3. CHAPTER THREE

"Mmmm" Cassie's eyes fluttered open, she felt warm and cosy. She was wrapped in someone's arms... There was a soft glow settled over her and she felt... Complete. But she didn't have much time to think about it before she was taking in her surroundings... Still in Alpha Karliah's arms. Cassie shot up. "What the hell? What's going on? What time is it?" Her head snapped around as she reeled through her questions. The muscular arms around her tightened and pulled her close. 

"Hey, quiet down. We're still in the classroom, class is about to end - I was going to wake you up soon..." Cassie turned to look into the alpha's dark grey eyes, caught for a moment staring into them. She felt strange... "Can you feel it, little one?" The larger girl murmured, bringing her face closer. 

"Feel what?" Cassie asked, 

"Never mind" Karliah's grip was tight but Cassie's focus was more on the burning in her backside, it kept grazing against the rough material of the alphas cargo pants. She hissed and jumped slightly but the grip on her kept her in place.

"That hurts! I can't believe you really punished me!" She whined, and then suddenly stiffened as she realised something, "Wait... We've been in here almost an hour... And that teacher never came to find out if you had... Like, killed me or something!" 

"He did come to check, once he found where we were you had fallen asleep... I told him what happened and he told me to make sure I woke you up before the end of day bell so a member of your pack could take you home..." Karliah leant back further against the desk, pulling back Cassie with her. "I know it stings, have you got any cream with you? Something for sensitive skin or with cooling?" She started massaging Cassie's cheeks again... It felt good but too intimate and it made her skin heat up again like before... Especially between her legs.

"N-no, it's fine" She wanted to climb away but the hands on her felt so good, one around her waist and another on her butt, rubbing firmly. "I n-need to g-go" she squeaked, and tried to push the arm off her waist feebly. Karliah's arms were like iron though, and she couldn't break away.

"Wait for the bell, there's no where for you to even go yet." The alpha was right but Cassie just wanted to get away, she felt weird and... flushed. But the more she struggled and pushed the more annoyed the blonde girl became,

"Stop that, you'll just hurt yourself!" She snapped, grabbing the back of Cassie's neck and pinning her down on her front, head hanging over one of the alphas knees and butt hanging over the other. The smaller wolf let out a grunt and continued to push away and kick but soon felt a hand digging between her shoulder blades, pushing her down and forcing her body to curve uncomfortably. Cassie panted and stopped struggling momentarily to catch her breath. "If you start that shit again I'll spank you so hard you won't be able to walk straight" Alpha Karliah growled. Giving a warning swat to the subs round cheeks, she jumped with the pain and decided to save herself the embarrassment again and submit, baring her neck to the Alpha and whining meekly. The alpha accepted her submission with a nip just underneath her ear. "Good girl" she smirked, enraging Cassie - She was enjoying this! Sick pervert! She wanted to yell it out but knew in her current position it wasn't exactly wise... She just grunted again, rolling her eyes.

The sound of the end of day bell rang out so loud and suddenly that both girls jumped.

"That's the bell! Now you have to let me go you brute!" Cassie grinned triumphantly, trying to jump up again. The alpha begrudgingly let her slip out of her arms, pulling a face at her but Cassie just stuck her tongue out and dusted herself off. The alpha picked herself up off the floor too and stretched out her arms above her head, lifting her crop top up even further to show the full length of her powerful abs. Cassie couldn't help but stare... She was really toned and... Sexy. Cassie hated to admit it or even think it but she really was and once again the brunette could feel herself getting turned on - WHAT WAS THIS DOM DOING TO HER? It must be witchcraft... She'd never met anyone who could get her this wet this quickly and with such simple actions. She decided to dash out before it became too obvious - She didn't need Karliah knowing how she affected her.

With a turn on her heel, she made a run for the door and burst through into the crowded hallways - Grateful for all the mingling scents that would hide hers. She made her way through the throngs of people to the classroom, and she said a small prayer in her head to the moon that Sam was still outside the door, waiting for her with both their bags in his arms. And once she had managed to force her way through what felt like a small army, she spotted him.

She pushed through to him but before she could even say hello, he beat her to it,

"What did she do to you?! Are you okay?!" His round doe eyes were wide and tears were pooling at the edges, "Where are you hurt?!" He was almost hysterical and Cassie grabbed his arm and dragged him back inside the classroom to be alone. After shutting the door and pulling down the blinds, she turned to her sobbing friend. "I was trying so hard not to cry for the whole hour but I was so scared!"

"I'm fine, Sammy" She whispered, not sure if she believed it. She walked to him slowly as he continued to sob, his whole body trembling - And she wanted to do the same. They always set each other off when they cried. But she had cried when she was spanked and it had been such a weight off her shoulders, she felt so much more calm. Any other time she would have burst into tears at the sight of Sam's, and although she felt the urge, it didn't overwhelm her this time. "Come here" she finally reached him and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close. He rested his head on her shoulder and she pushed the two of them back so they rested against a table. Holding each other for a few minutes while the crying slowly faded down to hiccups and whimpers. 

"What *Hic* Happened?" He asked, not lifting his head from her shoulder. Cassie thought for a moment, not sure if she should go through play by play and say everything or if she should just be blunt about it.

"She spanked me..." Cassie murmured the words but they seemed too loud in the empty classroom. Sam stiffened and sniffed a few times but didn't say anything, maybe he didn't know what to say, Cassie didn't either to be honest... "And then I fell asleep in her lap while she was..." Cassie felt embarrassed to say this part, but Sam was her best friend and maybe saying it would help her work out how she felt about it all. "Rubbing my butt - like, massaging it?" She was flushing at the words but continued, "And when I woke up I was in her arms still and she rubbed my butt again" Cassie left it at that, she didn't want to give anymore details, and Sam didn't look like he could handle anymore details. Red eyes peered up at her, "Let's just go home, I don't wanna talk anymore now" she whispered, taking his hand and leading them out of the classroom. They just made it in time to catch the pack coach back home.

~

Sam and Cassie flew up the stairs towards her room. The pack house was pretty big so it was a lot of stairs but being part wolf kinda gives you some advantages when it comes to the physical. Wolves are faster and stronger than humans - and they have heightened senses. And the alpha was the strongest of all. Their alpha of the pack was a mean son of a bitch. But luckily for them, he rarely left his office and spent all his time focusing on paperwork and alliances. His son, Marcus, was next alpha in line and he was just as bad, the problem was - he didn't have to be stuck in an office. He had the freedom to roam wherever and do whatever he wanted - to whoever he wanted. And his favourite target was Sam. The pack never intervened, he was the alpha and it was common for them to use the omega as a punching bag. But Cassie felt there was something else. He acted weirdly and stiff around them, especially for the last few months - He had really become fixated on Sam.

Speaking of Marcus, Sam ran face first into his chest and landed flat on his back with an expression of a deer caught in the headlights. He could barely breathe as he stared up at the huge alpha,

"I-I'm sorry!" he squeaked,

"Sorry isn't good enough, omega" He spat out the last word like it was dirty. Stepping forward to grab him but Cassie jumped between them, squeezing herself in between his arms.

"It was an accident and you know it!" She yelled, becoming defensive.

"Don't you dare raise your voice to me sub!" He roared, "Now back off or you will be both be punished!" He elbowed her to the side and Sam gave her a pleading look to just leave it as he was grabbed and dragged away.

"Did the omega hurt you that bad? Huh? Is he that strong?" She called after him, trying to turn his attention to her, she continued trailing behind but soon the door of his bedroom was slammed in her face.

"Sam!" She shouted through the door. But there was no reply. She decided to give him privacy for his punishment, there was nothing else she could do.


	4. CHAPTER FOUR

Markus lips were sucking and pulling at the soft skin of Sam's stomach, growling low in his throat as he dug his fingers into the much smaller boy's back.

"Aah!" Sam yelped, Markus jerked his head up to give him a pointed look,

"Be quiet. How many times do I have to tell you?!" 

Sam clamped his hands over his mouth. But couldn't help the squeaks emitting from his lips when his mate sunk lower, biting on his hip bones and licking at the marks. It made a shiver run up his spine even thinking of the alpha doing this to him... But when it actually happened, when Markus would drag him to a secluded room and run his hands over him, leaving small marks over his body (although always where his clothes would cover them), it didn't happen that much (Well, compared to how much time most mates spend together) but it made him so happy. He had a hard time keeping a goofy grin off his face. He didn't care that his mate was ashamed of him, he didn't care that he had to keep it a secret - not when they had these moments. Any other time he wanted to sob and get mad and tell Markus to leave him alone but once his hands were on him, and when he kissed him - he just sunk into this silly bliss.

Markus pulled back, satisfied with his trail of blue and purple marks down Sam's torso. He sat back on his heels on the large soft bed, motioning Sam to sit up too. Sam leant up on his elbows and watched Markus unbuttoning his jeans, opening the front and running his hand over his boxers. Sam blinked and pushed himself forward onto his hands and knees, pressing his face into his alpha's crotch. Markus smirked at the sub catching on and leant back a bit to push his hips forward. Sam took the hint and pulled down the boxers, releasing the larger boy's huge dick. 

Sam wasn't surprised. He was often expected to suck the alpha off - did he ever get the same in return? No. And he expected he never would. Markus could never let himself be any less than the top, the most powerful person in the room at all times - a quality that Sam loved and hated in equal measure. 

He began to suck slowly on the head, wrapping his plump lips around the sternum and focusing all his attention on rubbing and suckling on the sensitive tip, while his hands rubbed the shaft. He knew what his mate liked and he was proud that he could make him happy. Markus began to grunt and thrust forwards into his mouth,

"Ugh, fuck!" He gripped Sam's chocolate brown hair, gripping the soft strands with his huge hand and holding his face in place, "You're way too fucking good at this" Sam keened at the kind-of compliment and sucked harder, circling with his tongue and hollowing his cheeks. Markus finally began to thrust hard, his hips stuttering and his grip painful on Sam's hair as he came. And Sam swallowed it all.

Sam didn't stop sucking until he was pulled off the alpha's cock by his hair and up onto his knees fully, although he still only reached Markus' chest, the larger boy leant down and tilted his chin up with a firm grip before placing a gentle kiss on his swollen lips.

"Good boy"

~

Karliah was pacing back and forth in her fathers office. It helped her think clearly in there and he often let her use it to work things out. But this she still couldn't get around in her head. Her mate. She had found her mate. At least she thought so - she had never felt this way before about anyone. And that's how the elders always explained it "an indescribable feeling" - basically the most useless explanation but now Karliah seemed to understand. 

Because if someone had asked her to explain the connection that she felt to that curly-haired girl - she would have no idea what to say. But she knew there was something between them. She just couldn't understand though - they were clearly incompatible. They weren't fit for each other at all and yet she couldn't get her off her mind. Maybe the next time they met would be better - but she didn't know how? Wasn't this supposed to be like something out of a fairy tale? Eyes meet across a room and they instantly fa in love with each other? Because although she felt a deep pull inside her physically and subconsciously - the kid was a little shit. And she did not take defiance well.

Those eyes had captured her... such a deep green with tiny silver flecks that could only be seen up close. Like when she was in her lap. Karliah shuddered, trying not to get hard again. It was hard enough trying to hide her boner when Cassie was in her lap. That was the only time she liked the girl's personality - when she was asleep! 

Just spanking her had Karliah dripping with precum. The way she tilted her wide hips, the way those peach-pink lips parted with every moan and the way her pussy dripped more with every hit. Shit. Now The alpha was hard again. It must be just physical, she thought. She just has a nice body, that's all.

But now she was in this predicament, Karliah decided to reward herself... She did show a lot of self control earlier so she felt she deserved it. She unzipped her cargo pants and pulled them down slightly to rest low on her hips, pulling out her cock to start stroking to the image of Cassie's cherry red cheeks.


	5. CHAPTER FIVE

There was a cold draft coming into Cassie's room, she and Sam were wrapped in fluffy blankets with steaming mugs of hot chocolate cupped in their hands. They had barely spoken since Sam had stumbled out of Markus' room and after a few tentative sips, Cassie couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"Was it bad?" She whispered. Sam just shrugged, 

"Not the worst I've ever taken so it probably didn't leave a mark" he was acting a little shady but Cassie just looked away.

"Was it a spanking?" She knew it sometimes varied but spankings were the most common. 

"Yeah"

"You were in there for 40 minutes, your butt must be raw" She was trying to not sound too suspicious, but she certainly felt it - usually he cried pretty bad when he was spanked but lately when he came out he rarely had tear tracks running down his cheeks.

"It was just a light one, he also gave me one of his lectures..." Sam trailed off, refusing to meet her eyes. She figured he must be embarrassed, she knew she was when they talked about her spanking... it had been humiliating - even if they were friends. She knew how long his lectures could go on for and she accepted the excuse without thinking too much. She wanted to change the subject quickly.

"So, did you get any notes down for the lesson I missed?" 

"Of course!" He slid his backpack towards him and up onto the bed before pulling out his notepad. "Here" he opened it to the right page and handed it over. Cassie groaned,

"Why is your handwriting so perfect?! It's so swirly and pretty..." She grumbled but Sam just laughed at her. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the notes, she couldn't be bothered to copy them now but she did have a glance at what they had covered. 

Class Rules 

~ No Running  
~ No Shouting over each other / Interrupting  
~ No Eating / Drinking  
~ No Name calling  
~ No lateness

"That's a lot of 'No's" Cassie murmured to herself. Underneath was a diagram of the different types of wolves and the hierarchy, Alpha Doms at the top and Omega Subs at the bottom. Under that were more bullet points, showing all the topics they would be covering for that term. And finally there was a small paragraph titled 'My ideal mate'. 

My ideal mate would be someone strong and tall because I like people who are strong and tall. I am not strong or tall so that's what I would like in a mate.

"That's all you wrote for your ideal mate?" She gave him a weird look, squinting her eyes like she was trying to see inside his head. Sam just shrugged and looked away, "What about being sweet and loving? Or anything to do with personality? You've only put physical reasons - I had no idea you were so shallow!" She laughed at him and he just shrugged again, "And your reasons are rubbish too! Wouldn't you want a strong mate so they would protect you? Or a tall mate so they can help you reach things?" 

"I don't need someone to do those things for me" He muttered, Cassie stared at him for a moment - Was he really annoyed or was he pretending? Sam snatched back the pad and shoved it in his bag.

"Look, I'm sorry Sam... I guess you're just more easily pleased than me" She winked and finished her hot chocolate in one gulp. "Oh shit! That was hotter than I thought it was going to be!" She fanned her mouth while Sam just chuckled at her.

"C'mon, I've got chores to do - Talk to me while I do them?" 

"Sure" She smiled, she wished she was allowed to help him but Markus was always checking on him. You'd think he was defusing a bomb rather than mopping a floor the way Markus hung around and stared at him. What a weirdo...

~

Markus stood in the hot shower and let the water beat down on his muscular shoulders. He needed to get a grip on his feelings. That omega was going to be the death of him one day... 

It started with a sweet smell, the morning of his 16th birthday he could smell a gorgeous sweet scent. It called to him and his wolf went nuts for it. He followed it through the house until he arrived outside the omega's room, slowly pushing the creaky door open and slipping inside, shutting the door behind him. When he turned to look at the omega he felt his heart stop in his chest. He will always remember that moment. Lying tangled in the sheets was the omega, but suddenly Markus didn't just see a weak, useless wolf, he saw a chocolate-haired beauty. Luminescent soft skin and a tiny doll-like body with thin limbs and a tiny waist, his pj top riding up to show his flat stomach and hip bones jutting out. Long full lashes fanned out onto his cheeks where the lightest sprinkling of freckles lay, barely noticeable even up close but now Markus could count every one. 

The alpha struggled to breath as he stepped towards the boy, sitting beside him on the bed. He gently swept the fine strands of hair from the brunette's forehead. He didn't know what came over him but he found himself placing the lightest kiss upon the skin he just unveiled, as he pulled back he let the hairs fall back where they were and snuck out of the room. He knew then exactly who his mate was, and that he could never tell anyone.

He made a vow to himself to stay away, but the longer he kept it up the more his wolf would howl inside his head and keep him up at night with dreams of marking that pearl white skin, or mating with the boy, hearing him moan Markus' name. It was only a few months before he snapped and started making up excuses to punish the omega, dragging him away to a secluded part of the pack house.

Sometimes he would actually punish him, even that felt good. Any contact felt good and he just couldn't seem to hold himself back, but it was getting even worse the longer he avoided actually marking him. Markus slammed his fist into the white tiles of the shower, cracking four in one go. He hated how much of a hold this pathetic omega had on him. He hated how much he wanted him, how much he wanted to bite down into the crook of his neck and mark him for all to see, no one would come near him again - you don't fuck with the alpha's mate. But everyone knowing would also bring the humiliation of having to admit his mate was an omega. Omega's are weak and small and he would never hear the end of it from his friends if they found out. 

Especially because of the way he took the piss out of them. Markus loved to joke around and make fun of his friends and he could usually take it back at him too, he didn't mind them making a joke about him because he didn't have any real weaknesses - but this would be too much if they knew... they would have a field day. 

Markus hated feeling weak, he was an alpha and all alphas refused to be submissive or weak. But the omega made him feel like he had no willpower whatsoever. Just one of those wide eyed looks could send shivers up his spine... It was so hard to focus just being in the same room and he often found his eyes drifting over to him, raking over his perfect porcelain skin... Imagining all the filthy things he wanted to do with that tiny body...

He twisted the shower handle for a quick blast of cold water, he didn't need to be getting hot and bothered thinking about the stupid omega again. It was bad enough he had lost control earlier, but the moment the omega's skin touched his when they collided - He couldn't hold himself back. The kid was a good cock-sucker though, he'd give him that... The alpha smirked as he stepped through the glass doors and into his private bathroom. Most of the wolves in the pack had to share bathrooms with at least 5 other people but being the next alpha he got his own, and it was huge. He wrapped a plush towel loosely around his hips and ran a hand through his soaking hair before padding through to his bedroom.

He glanced at his bed and sighed, groaning at the sight of the stains from when he was giving the omega his 'punishment'. At least it would be the omega changing the sheets... But he had better make sure he did it by this evening, Markus didn't want to be sleeping in his own cum. With another sigh he stomped over to his desk and rifled through his bag, deciding to read over some of his scrawled notes while he let himself air dry.

~

A few hours later there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in" Markus barked, he already knew who it was, that sweet smell seeping through the cracks around the door and causing his wolf to howl with happiness and excitement inside him. The door cracked open,

"I'm sorry sir, is this a bad time to change your sheets?" The omega whispered, clinging to the door like a frightened child.

"Go ahead, I need to go stretch my legs anyway" Markus grumbled, acting as usual as though the omega had annoyed him. It was his natural defence to keep the small wolf at bay, so he didn't succumb to his embarrassing desires. He stood from his desk, now fully clothed in baggy jeans and a long black tank top, showing off his huge arms. As he passed the omega he had to hold his breath but he made it out and decided to go for a run in wolf form. He was soon stripped and was racing outside on four legs, his wolf over excited having been kept locked away all day. 

Sam watched the alpha leave out of the corner of his eye as he made his way to the king sized bed, once his intoxicating heavy scent had drifted away the brunette began to strip the sheets, duvet and pillows. He made a large pile next to the bed of all the dirty sheets and scooped them up to take back down to the laundry room. Once he had returned with new sheets he started the process again but in reverse, it was halfway through the third pillow that Sam noticed the notepad open on Markus' desk, and at the top he could see the same notes he took down for the class rules of their DSH Ed class. 

He tried to keep his mind on the task at hand but couldn't help thinking about the last piece of work they were given, 'My ideal mate'. Some people wrote a full page but Sam could barely write a few sentences. Strong and tall would be a child's description of Markus, that's all there was to him at first glance and the omega didn't want to make it obvious who he was writing about. When it came to the reasons, he just couldn't bring himself to write the kind of things Cassie said. It hurt too much to think about an ideal mate he would never have - Markus would never use his strength to protect Sam and he wouldn't help him reach anything either, that was usually his favourite way of teasing the omega - to hold something out of his reach. He was so curious about what Markus might of written for his ideal mate... But he wondered if it would end up hurting him more to look. If he described a mate that was he complete opposite of him it would break his heart even more.

After twenty minutes of debating with himself and finally finishing arranging the alpha's bed, he decided it was worth looking - he would always regret it otherwise. He crept over to the desk, looking left and right like a cartoon character about to do something naughty, before he let his eyes drift over the page. 

My Ideal Mate

A few sentences with a line through them were just beneath the title, Sam could just about make out the words:   
My ideal mate would be someone small and cute with big ey-

Below this he had clearly started again:  
My ideal mate would be someone I can laugh with. This is because I like to play pranks and make jokes and I like people that can take a joke. 

Sam read the two mini paragraphs over a few times before a small smile crept onto his lips, was that first one about him? He couldn't be sure but just the thought that it could be had butterflies fluttering in his tummy... He needed to get out before someone caught him hanging around but he took one more quick glance at those badly scribbled lines again before slipping out to finish his chores.


	6. CHAPTER SIX

"MARKUS! MARKUS!" The omega was screaming his name beneath him, his eyes rolling back in his head as he took the full length of his alpha. 

Markus shuddered and rammed into his tiny lover again, gripping his waist to hold him in place. The omega was writhing and sobbing, his legs jerking and spreading and his hands simply didn't know where to go, they gripped the sheets, the alpha's shoulders, then his hair, then the omegas own hair and then back in the sheets. He just couldn't control the pleasure coursing through his body. Markus grabbed his wrists and pinned them with one of his huge hands, holding them above his head, he then used his free hand to toy with the brunettes hard nipples. He pulled and twisted, earning himself moans and gasps that only made his dick throb more, 

"Aaah - Markus please!" Every time he heard the omega say his name he had to bite down on his lip so as not to moan like a whore. He started pounding into the hot tight hole even harder, watching the omega's mouth drop open as he tried to form words but the pleasure was just too much. His back arched and Markus switched to his other nipple, toying with it roughly. A sharp gasp was ripped from his mate's throat and Markus looked up to see his head thrown back - and in the crook of his neck was the alpha's mark. He growled low in his throat possessively. Mine. That was the only thought running through his head. This perfect porcelain doll belonged to him and no one was going to take him away. Just the thought spurred him on and he took back both hands to spread the omega's leg still they were flat on the bed either side of him, allowing him to push in deeper. 

"Please Master, I'm going to cum!" Those big eyes gazed up at him and he lost it. Shooting his hot load deep inside his mate.

Markus shot up in bed, his tanned skin covered in a light layer of sweat. He was panting like he had just finished running a marathon and his arms shook with the effort of holding him up in place. He growled, why was his wolf doing this to him? He just saw the omega yesterday, and not just looking - he got sucked off for christs sake. Why couldn't his wolf just be happy with that? It should feel lucky. And now he was rock hard, just his underwear rubbing against his dick was almost painful. 

He checked the time on his phone, he had time to rub one out before he needed to start getting ready - he hated cold showers and only used them to get his hard-on to go down if he was in a hurry. The alpha slid his boxers off and rested his back against the soft pillows, sliding a hand down to grip the base of his cock. Masturbation was the only time he willingly thought about the omega - because ever since his 16th birthday nothing else could get him over that edge, and he had tried with quite a few girls. They could get him hard, and they could get him close, but only the thought of those big crystal blue eyes could get him off. He spent the next 20 minutes playing the scene from his dream over and over in his head until finally, he came with a long groan. His favourite part was the omega screaming his name. The omega wasn't allowed to say his name, only 'Alpha', 'Sir' or sometimes 'Master' but a lot of people cringed at that one. But once, years ago, in his soft sweet voice - He said his name. And ever since Markus has played that one word over and over in his head. Ugh, he seriously needed to do something about this... It was driving him mad... He pulled back the covers and stretched out his long arms and legs, ready to start another long day. 

~

The bell rang to signal the start of the school day and Cassie waved goodbye to her best friend before weaving in and out of the crowd and down to her first lesson. It was her first chemistry lesson at the academy and she was pretty nervous - because she sucked at chemistry. Once she got near the door, the mix of scents hit her nose and she sniffed, trying to get a good idea of the mixture of students gathered around in clumps outside the door, waiting for class to start. 

The clock is about to hit 9AM - The start of the lesson, when an intense scent hits the subs nose. A sharp, sultry smell with floral hints - Strong yet sweet. She sniffs the air and let's her eyelids flutter before spinning round to see where the amazing smell is coming from. But finds herself face-to-chest with Alpha Karliah.

"We meet again, little one" The dirty blonde girl smirks down at her.

"L-Leave me alone!" Cassie whines, turning back and following the herd of students now making their way into the classroom. This classroom had 3 rows of 3 4-seat long tables and high stools behind them, unlike the DSH Ed room which had individual seats, and the Maths and English rooms which had 2 seat tables with regular plastic chairs. Stools always made Cassie feel silly because she was too short and often needed help to get on and off them. She tried not to show her annoyance on her face and made her way to the back of the room so hopefully no one would notice her struggling to climb onto the tall seat. 

As she tried to hoist herself up she found she wasn't quite flexible enough to swing her leg over the top of the chair - she needed to get herself up higher but that wasn't possible. She huffed and kept trying though - she wasn't one to give up easily! (Unless it was homework, that she gave up on pretty quickly...)

"Need a hand?" Cassie groaned internally, but before she could reply a large hand had grabbed her left butt cheek and was giving it a squeeze. She let out a shocked gasp and froze. "Or maybe just a finger?" The sub jumped forward this time, knocking down the stool at the feel of a single long finger sliding under her skirt and along the underline of her panties. Cassie looked over her shoulder and glared at the alpha, earning herself a pinch to the backside.

"All right everyone settle down, my name is Miss Jacobs and I'm your new Chemistry teacher" A beautiful woman had entered the room, Cassie could smell that she was a sub but she was very tall which was unusual and had a firm presence in the room even surrounded by Doms and alpha's. Everyone sat in their seats - Cassie unceremoniously dumped onto her seat by Karliah who seemed to find it very amusing and took the seat behind her with that signature smirk on her lips. 

"Today we are going to go over what you should already know but just in case we will cover it again. First, the periodic table - you are all expected to know the first 30 elements, in order. We shall go through one by one and name them starting with the back corner and working to the left" She nodded at the Dom in the far corner to start.

"Hydrogen" he called out.

"Helium" the girl next to him followed.

"Lithium" and the girl next to her continued.

This carried on until it reached Cassie, in the 12 th seat.

"Magnesium" She called, and the teacher gave her a small nod as she did with each student. Once all 30 elements had been called there were still 4 students who hadn't had to say anything so she picked them to answer some basic questions and moved on to the next topic. She used the whole lesson to go over various topics from their last year of school, lightly skimming over to make sure everyone had the gist of it. 

Throughout the hour long lesson, Karliah's hand frequently tried to slip under the Sub's skirt... And it was repeatedly pushed away, often accompanied by another glare or the mouthing of an insult in her direction.

By the end, Karliah was getting frustrated, mouthing back 'Say that again and I'll put you over my knee' she narrowed her eyes and looked around before adding, 'In front of ALL of them'. Cassie gulped. Her behind was still sore from yesterday's spanking, even after all the cream she had used to try and soothe the burn. She snapped her head away to try her best to ignore the dirty blonde, but within minutes the hand was sliding along her naked thigh again but this time it stopped just before the hem of her skirt, the thumb rubbing comforting circles on her skin. Cassie couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine at the feeling and her wolf keened, loving the attention. She didn't know Karliah had such an effect on her... Maybe it was an alpha thing, she mused.

But Miss Jacobs interrupted her thoughts, 

"Alright class, pack up your things and get moving to your next lesson - I'll see you all on Friday!" She smiled and nodded everyone out as the class bustled through the classroom and out the door. Cassie jumped up, throwing her things into her bag and attempting to dart straight out. Unfortunately she got stuck in the herd and a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She knew instantly who it was from the scent enveloping around her, her wolf was howling with delight but Cassie wanted to groan - or maybe growl...

"Don't try to scramble away" Karliah murmured in her ear. Leading her out the door and in the complete opposite direction of her next class.

"A-am I in trouble?" Cassie hated how squeaky her voice was, how weak she sounded.

"Only a little" The sub let out a small sigh of relief that made the alpha chuckle and she blushed, she didn't realise it had been loud enough for her to hear. "But enough that I need to put you back in line, little one."

Karliah looked around and ducked into a cleaning supplies storage room, dragging Cassie with her.

"Turn around" She ordered, and Cassie spun to face her. Not a spanking then? She thought. Large hands ran up her trembling thighs, lifting her skirt and pulling a gasp from her lips before reaching her stomach and sliding up underneath her top and round to her back before she reached the clasp of the sub's pink lace bra.

"W-What are you doing?!" Cassie slammed her hands into the alpha's chest but it had no effect, her bra was unhooked and fell to the floor before she could catch it.

"Hold your top up" This time Cassie didn't obey, she folded her arms over her now bare chest and glared up at Karliah. "Don't make this punishment worse, Cassie" The small girl jumped, just hearing her name roll off Karliah's tongue made her skin tingle. She slid her hands up and grabbed the rolled up top round her neck and looked away, blushing scarlet. That stupid smirk was back on that stupid alpha's face was all that was running through Cassies mind when a hand grabbed onto each of her nipples and tweaked them hard.

"Aah! That hurts!" She gasped, leaning up on her toes to try and relieve some of the pressure. Her hands swapped to the alpha's wrists, clinging on but they didn't move an inch. 

"You need to stop treating me with such disrespect" she gave a sharp tug but didn't let go.

"A-Ah! That's not fair! You're not my alpha!" 

"That doesn't matter" She stared down into Cassie's eyes, never looking away as she pulled and twisted at the sore pink nipples.

"Aah! No! That hurts!" Cassie whined, trying to look away from the steel-grey eyes but for some reason she just couldn't. "Ah! Aah!" She couldn't pull away without causing more pain, she was stuck there on her tip-toes. "Stop it!" She grumbled.

"I'm waiting for you to apologise and submit" She spoke in a dull, bored tone but her eyes were raking over Cassie's face and breasts - Clearly enjoying the show. Cassie squinted her eyes, trying to give a dirty look but they were starting to water... And her bottom lip was trembling. Karliah groaned, her grip loosening, "Don't give me that look, you're upsetting my wolf!" But Cassie ignored her and let the first few tears roll down her cheeks, pushing her lip out further. The blonde sighed and all but let go of Cassie's nipples, gently rubbing them now as she leant her head down to nuzzle her nose against the smaller girls cheeks. She let out a low growl and let her hands slip down to Cassie's waist before pulling her closer to her chest. 

"I'm sorry" It was just a whisper but Karliah heard it loud and clear.


	7. Chapter 7

The first week at their new school was over and Cassie and Sam were pretty worn out. The lessons were pretty much the same as they had been at human school (Except DSH Ed - but that was a class they only had once a week) however, it wasn't the classes that had them desperate for a break. Karliah. That name had been on Cassie's mind since her first day. She had even been dreaming of her... Her nipples still stung a little to the touch... but it felt good and she would run her fingers over them after waking up from dreams filled with those steel grey eyes. After she had said sorry, the alpha had looked so confused for a moment but held her in her arms for a while before slipping out of the closet and leaving Cassie to get dressed and sneak back to her classes. She didn't know what this stupid alpha's problem was but she seemed to be the only one that got picked on by her - and it was so hard to fight back when her wolf seemed to go nuts when she was around. Her dark skin and beautiful blonde hair contrasted so well... And her muscles had Cassie drooling... Not that she would ever admit that - not even to Sam! She felt that she needed to just hide from now on, maybe a makeover would help her creep about undetected... She imagined silly costumes with fake moustaches and it helped lighten her mood a little - but she was still glad it was the weekend.

And Sam just couldn't stand being around other wolves full time. At human school, people had liked him. They made their judgements of him based off who he was as a person - not what he smelled like. Among most wolves, the smell of an omega is enough to drive them away. No one wants to be friends with a weak wolf. But at least he had Cassie, she was a little firecracker and her charisma drew other subs to her like a magnet. Soon they had a little group that they sat with regularly at lunch, outside in the sun. Sam didn't do much of the talking, he left that to Cassie, but he still enjoyed being around other people. Being an omega was a lonely life and any time he could be around people without being picked on or pushed around was a breath of fresh air to him. 

Cassie knew Sam had been struggling this first week too and after spending all of Friday evening trying to decide what she could do to cheer him up, she decided he deserved some time away from the pack house - but first she needed the alpha's permission. And when it came to small requests he always said the same thing,

"Small matters slow me down from getting to big matters, take these petty requests to Markus. He is the next alpha and perfectly capable of handling this"

And there's no way Markus would let Sam out. Usually she wouldn't even bother asking but she really felt like Sam needed this. She woke up on the sunny Saturday morning, and as soon as breakfast was over she dragged Sam by the elbow out of the kitchen (Still trying to clean up the bomb site left after breakfast in his pajamas) and to the rec room where they had a pool table, a TV and various other games to keep the kids entertained. Markus was leant over the green felt of the pool table, concentrating on his aim when his head snapped up to look at them, smelling them the moment the entered the room.

"Um, Markus? Could we talk to you... in private?" Cassie watched as he slowly straightened up.

"I'm busy" His voice was dull, making it as obvious as he could that he had better things to do than talk to them.

"Please Markus! The alpha told us to come to you" Okay, so that was a lie. But it's what the alpha would have said if they had gone to him first, Cassie consoled her guilty conscience with this thought but her wolf was still uneasy with lying to an alpha. Markus sighed and passed his cue to one of his hulking friends and stalked towards the two subs with an annoyed expression. They stepped out and walked a little way down the corridor before turning to him again.

"Alpha Markus, please can Sam and I leave the pack ho-" 

"No" His words were harsh and abrupt. Sam, who had his head down the whole time jumped at his reaction and continued to stare at the floor.

"But why?" Cassie whined.

"Because... Omega's aren't allowed out" The alpha folded his arms across his broad chest.

"Without permission, you mean. which we are asking for!" She wanted to stomp her feet but Cassie held herself in check, trying a different tactic, "What if you came too?" She knew it wasn't ideal - This was exactly the kind of person she knew Sam needed a break from. "You could do some shopping or get something to eat and we would always stay in your sight"

"You promise the omega would ALWAYS be in my sight?" Markus looked so serious, Cassie could barely answer - Had that worked?

"Of course! ...and you can always text me if you get too worried about him" Cassie knew she shouldn't tease him but she still snorted as she said it. She couldn't understand why the alpha would care where the omega was but then maybe he saw Sam as his property - and an alpha is very possessive over what's theirs.

"Good, give me your number" Cassie just stared at his face for a moment, trying to work out if he was serious, he just frowned back, "Well?"

"Uh, yeah - We'll just grab our things first" She looked beside her at Sam who was looking at her in shock. She turned and started to walk away, he blinked a few times and nodded before following her out. She didnt look back, afraid that Markus would suddenly change his mind.

~

The omega's room was bare and cold. Just as all omega's rooms typically were - since the pack rarely wanted to pay for furniture for them besides a bed and they didn't have many personal belongings. Sam pulled on a pair of tight baby blue jeans - they weren't bought to be skinny jeans, they were just getting too small for him but Cassie always said they made his butt look good... Plus he didn't have that many options when it came to clothes. On his top half he slipped an oversized white t-shirt and on his feet a pair of white socks and hand-me-down plain white converse. 

He tried not to let the excitement bubble up inside him, he rarely got to leave the pack house or the surrounding land owned by the Scarlett Moon pack. Only for school, or sometimes if there was an urgent meeting of all the packs. For all he knew, Markus could be messing with him, waiting for him to get to the front door before telling him it was all a joke. He could never understand what the alpha was thinking or planning, he was always hiding his true feelings behind jokes or sarcasm. When they were alone, there were flashes of a more gentle side - stroking of his hair and back, chaste kisses and nuzzling at his neck. But he could also be so vicious... He had never outright been beaten up but he had taken some pretty brutal spankings, hair pulling and nipple clampings. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of bruises he had received over his lifetime - although over the last 6 months they had been in much more intimate places... Once he was properly dressed he made his way to the front door and waited for Markus and Cassie to arrive. 

Markus was first, striding down the large stair case with his long legs taking the steps 2 at a time. When he arrived at the bottom, his eyes met Sam's and he stiffened for a few moments. His eyes began to glide over the omega's body, slowly, taking in every inch as though he were a model in an intricate designer outfit. By the time his eyes were on Sam's heart shaped face he was blushing and shifting uncomfortably at the silent attention. Markus took the last few steps to stand beside his mate in front of the door.

"You are not to leave my sight for the entirety of this... Excursion" Markus spoke without looking at Sam. Standing rigidly with a frown on his face, it didn't suit him. He was a natural jokester. Plus Sam thought his laughing face was so much more handsome. "Do you understand?" 

Sam nodded. Keeping his eyes trained on the floor.

"I said" Markus swung round to stand in front of him, looking down with hard eyes, "Do you understand?" He raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

"Y-yes sir" Sam's body was already reacting to the closeness of the alpha simply standing in front of him. His skin burned and his cheeks flushed a light pink on his pale skin.

"Good"

Cassie came stumbling down the stairs at this point, dressed in her usual skirt-and-Doc-Martins combo with a bright yellow sunflower crown woven in with her curls. She gave Sam a bright smile and he couldn't help but return it. He felt the alpha's heart speed up beside him and looked up at him, only to find Markus staring at him intently. 

"Uum, are we going or are you two going to just stare at eachother all day? Come on! My mum gave me my allowance and I wanna get ice cream!" Cassie whined the last part and Markus rolled his eyes before opening the front door. They walked to Markus' Range Rover (or maybe skipped in Cassie's case) and Markus unlocked the doors. Unfortunately, Sam and Cassie were almost two feet shorter than Markus... 

"It's too high! We can't get in!" The small girl was whinging again, scrambling half in and half out of the car. Sam just stood behind her biting his bottom lip, not even attempting to climb in with her as he knew he wasn't tall enough. Markus sighed and they both glanced over to him. He used one arm to throw each of them into the back of the car and slammed the door shut before sliding into the front seat and starting the engine.

"Everyone got their seat belts on?" He called back to them. 

"Um, almost" Cassie's voice was muffled as she was still face down, butt up and tangled with Sam who was only half on his seat, his head on the floor. Markus caught sight of them in his rear view mirror and tried his best not to laugh but a small chuckle escaped and soon he had his head rested against the steering wheel, his laugh booming through the car. Both subs started to giggle too as they pulled themselves up and into their seats. It's nice to see Sam smiling, Cassie thought. The mood was lightened and Markus drove into town with a small smile playing on his lips.


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

Sam wandered down the aisles of the small boutique, it was filled with accessories from bracelets to headbands and scarves. Cassie was having a field day racing around picking up everything and trying it on. He watched her with a gentle smile.

Markus was across the street, sitting outside a small cafe and playing with his phone while he waited for them. Every now and again he would glance up and catch Sam's eyes but the omega would snap his head away with a blush. The town was small but had quite a few small shops and places to eat - and it was pretty close to the pack land so the others often for to come and hang out here. But this was Sam's first time and he still couldn't quite believe this was happening.

"Sammy!" He was snapped from his thoughts to Cassie putting a pink flower crown in his hair. "Oh you look so cute! Please can I take a photo?" 

"N-no!" Sam tried to pull the headpiece off but Cassie grabbed his hands.

"Just one! It really suits you!" She snapped a quick photo and let him go before turning her phone to show him. "See!"

"Ugh, you know I don't like pictures of me..." 

"But you're cute! I promise!" She winked at him and ran off to look at more items. He shook his head and lifted his hand to take the crown off but froze when he felt eyes on his face. He glanced around, searching for who it was. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday so there weren't many people meandering through the streets.

"She's right, it does look cute" a deep voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked straight up above him, his head tilted so far back the crown almost slipped from his head. Behind him stood a tall, blonde man... Human. Sam struggled to speak, he was shy anyway but this man was... Well, gorgeous. He had hazel eyes that were creased at the corners as he smiled down at the smaller boy and waited patiently.

"Th-thank you" His voice came out as a cracked whisper but it just widened the blonde man's smile. He couldn't be much older than Sam himself but he was so big for a human! "Excuse m-me" Sam spun on his heel and started to stumble away hoping to find Cassie but a hand clamped down on his shoulder before he could take more than three steps.

"What's going on here?" 

Alpha. He could smell an alpha. He took a few small sniffs - It was his alpha! Sam relaxed and slid behind Markus to use his broad back as a shield. 

"I was just telling him how cute he was" The blonde's smile had turned to a sneer and he looked Markus up and down. "Maybe if you wanted to keep other men away you should be the one telling him he's cute" Markus' eyes flashed and he clenched his hands. The omega behind him was blushing from his head to his toes, his skin a light pink all over. 

"He's mine" Markus growled low in his throat. Sam's heart began to pound at the words and he gripped his hands into the back of Markus' T-shirt, "I don't need to tell him he's cute for him to know who he belongs to" if the other man was a wolf he would know this alpha was making it very clear not to approach, marking his territory almost. Sam could feel the aura of his mate's wolf getting riled up and it caused his own to whine anxiously inside him. But this man was human, and his long arm shot out, grabbing Sam's wrist and dragging him out from behind his mate's shadow.

"Is he hurting you?" The man's face came close as he crouched, his voice serious.

"W-what?" Sam tried to pull back but he was too shaken to put a lot of strength into his attempt. His heart still pounding in his throat.

"There are hotlines for this you know - people who can help you!" Sam couldn't do anything but blink in confusion but Markus instantly growled low in his throat and took another step forward, trying to keep Same closer to him than this human.

"I-I don't understand, let me go!" Sam cried out, trying to sound braver than he felt. His eyes beginning to fill with tears. But both the man and Markus ignored him and both stepped forward again. Markus and the Man were practically nose to nose now with Sam wedged between them.

"Get away from him. Now" The alpha growled.

"You can leave him! You don't have to do what he says!" Sam felt guilty, this man actually looked so concerned for him but this wasn't something that he could fix, he was just making it worse by angering his Alpha.

"Yes, I do. Please, just stop!" The tears finally fell, big ploppy baby tears streamed down his round cheeks and dropped off this soft chin. "Please..." He whispered. 

The man stared down at him, conflicted. After a few seconds of glancing back and forth between Sam and Markus he stepped back but didn't release Sam's arm. The man reached into his shoulder bag and pulled out a pen, he then stretched out Sam's arm and wrote a line of numbers on his soft pale skin.

"If you decide you can't take this bullshit anymore, call me." his voice was stern but he released the Omega and walked stiffly out of the shop. Sam sighed. His heart was finally starting to slow back down when he felt hot breath on his neck. The alpha still pressed against the back of him from their stand-off with the man.

"The second we get home I'm scrubbing that disgusting creep's number off your arm" Although Markus murmured the words against Sam's ear, his tone was threatening and the omega felt a shiver run down his spine. He would never admit it but sometimes that scary voice sent a shiver not just down his spine but down to his groin... He couldn't help being a masochist... He sniffled and wiped his wet cheeks but otherwise stayed still.

"Y-Yes, Sir" Sam's eyes were glued to the floor but he felt his alpha's hands sneakily slide under his shirt to run his fingers along his bare lower back, slowly round his sharp thin hips and trailing the tips of his fingers gently over his stomach and along the rim of his trousers... Sam's breaths became shallow and a little shaky but he managed to stay still and keep his eyes down. Markus brought his lips just under his mate's ear and sighed,

"Let's... Go get something to eat" He dug his nails into Sam's hips for a moment, enjoying the soft gasp that escapes his lips. Maybe it's mean for him to do these things on purpose but he just loves the sweet little noises that come out of his mate.

Sam nodded and felt the huge hands slip away, he tried not to feel too sad at the loss of contact but his wolf was whinging again. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and push his wolf back, and went to find Cassie to tell her they were leaving.

He found his curly haired friend at the counter, taking her receipt and slipping her wrist through a plastic bag. 

"What did you get?" Sam's voice was barely audible and Cassie snapped her head round gave him a questioning look but froze as her eyes ran over his red rimmed eyes, trembling lips and hands. 

"What happened, sweetie?" She whispered, rushing forward to put her hands on his upper arms and press her forehead against his. "Did he hurt you?" She gave him a stern look but he just shook his head.

"It... Was weird, I'll tell you later - Promise" He gave a weak smile, "But what did you get?"

Cassie took a moment to gauge his expression but gave in and gave him a quick hug before stepping back, 

"I got a cute blue bracelet! I'll show it to you later!" She gave a grin, although it was a struggle to keep it up - She was too worried about her best friend. "So, where next?"

"Alpha Markus says we are going to get something to eat now" 

"Nice! Where?" Cassie grabbed his hand and started walking towards the front of the store where Markus was waiting in the doorway. 

"Um... I don't know..." Sam murmured.

"That's okay, sweetie" She gave him a cheeky wink as they reached the towering alpha, "Hey Markus, where are we going for food then?" 

"There's an Italian place just across the street, I was looking in while I waited and it doesn't seem too busy." 

"Yum! I love Italian food!" Cassie squeezed Sam's hand and forced a smile, hoping it would be contagious. He gave a small grin back and she accepted that as the best she would get right now. Markus just rolled his eyes and opened the door for them.

"Thanks, Jeeves" Cassie teased, pulling Sam out into the sunshine. The alpha simply grunted and followed them across the street.


	9. CHAPTER NINE

Markus led them to the cute Italian restaurant and asked for a booth seat. Both subs followed quietly and slid into the booth with Sam on Markus' left and Cassie beside Sam. 

An energetic waitress bustled over and handed them each a menu and read out the specials. All three nodded and murmured their thanks in unison before being left to decide on their lunch. Sam felt butterflies in his stomach, he had never been allowed to go out to a restaurant before... Cassie and her family had offered him the chance to come with them before but he was never given permission from the Alpha. As he stared at the menu, he didn't really take in the words on the paper...

Meanwhile, Cassie poked her head around the large menu to look him up and down.

"What?" He whispered, her sharp almond shaped eyes were watching him intently and he couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

"I feel like we should have got you blue instead, it would have matched your eyes then!" She smiled but he frowned back in confusion...

Suddenly, it clicked and his hand snapped to the top of his head where the pink flower crown still balanced on his chocolate brown, tousled hair. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"Oh goddess!" His eyes began to tear up, "we need to go back!" He jumped up, knocking the table and causing Markus to snap his head to the side and give them a suspicious look.

"Wait, why?" Cassie gave him a confused look while Markus made no attempt to pretend he wasn't eavesdropping.

"Because I'm not a thief! Cassie!" He whisper shouted, he didn't want people to know he had stolen something! Markus raised his eyebrows in alarm, noticing the ring of pastel flowers adorning his mate's head. But neither sub noticed his reaction.

"What are you talking about?" Cassie laughed, "You think I'd let you leave wearing something without paying for it?" She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. "I paid for the crown when I paid for the bracelet - it looked too cute on you to pass up!" She ran her fingers through his soft hair and gave him a wink. "Now pick what you want to eat already! I'm thinking Spaghetti Pomodoro!" And with that her attention had already moved onto something else.

Sam took a deep breath and settled back into his seat, letting his eyes wander over the Menu again. As his gaze roamed from dish to dish, he became aware of a pair of hard eyes staring at him. He let his eyes slide to the side and up slowly, gazing up at Markus through his lashes. Their eyes locked for what felt like hours before Markus began to lean down towards his little mate's face. Thankfully Cassie had her nose buried in the menu as the two boys became almost lost in each others eyes until they bumped noses and both jerked back in shock. An electric current having run through them at the contact. Both looked away, Markus slipping his blank mask back on and Sam blushing profusely.

"Are we ready then?" The waitress had reappeared and pulled out her notebook. Both Markus and Cassie nodded but Sam realised he still hadn't picked so much as his drink. He looked up at Markus with wide eyes to tell him he wasn't ready but Markus just turned back to the waitress.

"We'll just order drinks for now, I'll have one of those green veggie smoothies, and for these two..." He gave them a look to tell them it was time to speak up but Sam froze,

"Two lemonades please!" Chirped Cassie, and the omega sighed quietly in relief. With a smile the waitress walked away to get their drinks.

"Thanks Cass" Sam whispered, grabbing her hand under the table and giving it a squeeze. She grinned back and pulled out her phone, 

"You're welcome, but now you owe me photos!" Her grin had turned evil and Sam spun round to dive his face into Markus' lap and hide. The alpha jumped and looked down incredulously but had to stay still as the omega's head was close to a very... Important area that he did not want to be head butted in.

Cassie couldn't stop the giggles as she tried to pry Sam's face up to get a picture. "Come oooon Sammy! You're so cute!" 

"Mm I'm nom" Sam mumbled into Markus' shirt. Cassie just rolled her eyes and sat back, sliding her phone into her pocket again. 

"Okay, you win. But I'll get you some day! I already got one!" She winked and Sam peeked up with a blush, slowly sliding away from Markus to sit in his place. Speaking of Markus, he was still frozen from fear of having his nuts squashed but slowly managed to relax again, running a hand through his hair and huffing. He gave them a few more minutes to decide on their meals but it seems all they did was whisper and giggle to eachother so once their drinks arrived, Markus decided to take charge.

"So, have we FINALLY chosen food now?" He asked, sliding his menu to the end of the table to show he was ready. Cassie nodded and put hers on top but Sam gripped his tightly, still so unsure as to what to pick. He but his plump bottom lip between his teeth. 

Ugh. Markus hated when he did that. Not because he actually didn't like it. But because he loved it. He wanted that to be him biting those soft lips... He had to fight to keep his mind out of the gutter and focus on the task at hand. He could tell the omega was nervous, he didn't get out much and probably didn't want to screw up his chance. Markus leant down behind the menu that the omega was using as a shield and whispered in his ear, 

"The vegetarian pizza is good" (A/N I know, every gay man's dream is to have that whispered in his ear.) He pointed to the description, "It's got lots of different stuff on it, bound to be something you like in there somewhere" 

"Um, I think I would like it... It's just that I don't think I could finish it! I don't want to waste food..." His voice was so cute and raspy when he whispered, it made Markus want to groan low in his throat but he kept his wolf in check. All the pizzas here came in Medium or Large, there wasn't a small option for adults.

"Well what about this, you order a medium vegetarian and I'll order a medium meat eater and we can share. I want a large and you want a small so we get the best of both" He almost couldn't believe he was saying something so... Romantic. He wanted to punch himself for coming out with it. And he would definitely punch anyone who found out. But if he was getting the meat eater anyway he might as well give himself a chance to steal some of Sam's food too.

Sam on the other hand, was thrilled. He was having a hard time playing cool and keeping his heart rate under control as he thought about sharing food with his alpha. 

"Y-yes please!" He gave a small smile up at Markus who summoned the waitress back and ordered for them. 

They had only been waiting about ten minutes since ordering when Cassie was already bored. She had the attention span of a goldfish and wanted to play a game.

"Truth or dare?" She asked, a mischievous grin planted on her face.

"Me?" Sam blinked in confusion.

"Yes, you! Truth or dare!" Sam knew he couldn't do a dare in front of Markus... He didn't want a spanking...

"Truth?" 

"Do you have a crush on anyone?" Trust his best friend to go in for the kill like that! How cruel. And in front of the Alpha who he most definitely did have a crush on...

"C-Cassie!" He cried in protest.

"You have to tell the truth! It's only a yes or no, you don't have to tell me who it is!" She reasoned.

"Um, then no... I don't"

"You're lying!" She pointed her finger in his face as she accused him. Markus watched them argue with this chin rested on his knuckle, part of him (mainly his wolf) had been hoping his little mate would admit to having a crush on him, but he supposed maybe it was best if he simply hated him... It was definitely easier without feelings. 

"Am not!" Sam repeated, his hands bunched in his top as he tried to convince her of his innocence.

"You are and that means you have to do a dare!" She looked around the room and then back at her friend, "I'll start small... But if you lie again I'll give you something really bad!" 

"Fine..." He muttered sulkily.

"I dare you to sing two lines of a song, any song you want!" She was already trying to contain her laughter at the thought of Sam's singing. Markus raised his eyebrow at her in question as to why that was so funny but she remained quiet - it's best he learn for himself.

"You know I'm an awful singer!"

"I know, that's why it's funny! Now come on!" She gave him a soft nudge.

"Umm..." He gave a weak little cough that made Markus splutter with laughter, "Twinkle Twinkle, Little STAR-" His squeaky voice cracked and Markus threw his head back, his booming laugh back in full force. Something about his mate's terrible raspy singing just seemed to tickle him. It was adorable. Sam felt shame rack his body at Markus' laughter. 

Of course he's laughing at you, he thought. You've always been a joke to him. With cherry red cheeks he tried to ignore his thoughts and continue with his dare. "How I wonder what you are. Up above the sky so high, LIKE-" Another crack in his voice but he continued, "a diamond in the sky" he stopped and Cassie, who had been giggling on the end of the booth gave him a thumbs up.

"Like an angel, isn't he?" She winked at Markus, causing another round of guffaws. Sam's mouth scrunched to the side and his eyes set in a stern expression.

"Truth or dare?" He demanded. Both Alpha and Sub stopped laughing and the curly haired girl took a moment to think before answering confidently,

"Truth!"

"Are you still a virgin?" His own cheeks tinged pink again just from asking the question. But Cassie's whole face was rosey as she spluttered at first. The alpha smirked at her, sipping at his drink as he waited.

"I-Um. Of course! Why would you ask that?" She tried not to look the alpha in the eyes.

"It's just a game Cassie" 

"No I-I mean because you already knew the answer to that?" It was more of a statement but she was really asking for an explanation.

"I know, that's why it's funny" He repeated her words from earlier and she rolled her eyes, if he wanted to play it like this then she was happy to show him how low she could go. 

"Truth or dare?" She raised an eyebrow, daring him to make the wrong choice.

"Truth" he was cautious now, especially with alpha Markus sat directly beside him.

"Are YOU a virgin?" Cassie smiled sweetly and enjoyed the show as Markus seemed to choke a bit on his smoothie, coughing and spluttering in the corner while Sam just froze and stared at her. She figured Alpha Markus just found it funny that she was asking an Omega if they were a virgin - Of course he was! If only she knew the kinds of things they got up to... After what could only have been a couple of minutes but felt like hours, Sam finally managed to get his mouth to work again.

"I... I haven't done... All the way... But..." He was barely audible and he looked away in shame as Cassie's face lit up in surprise. She had to admit, the whole point was that people their age were usually embarrassed of BEING a virgin. Although even then you weren't considered in the right because if you had sex then you were a slut but if you hadn't you were seen as some kind of nun. There was no winning the virgin game but she just liked seeing him blush.

"Oh, sorry Sam. I-I wasn't expecting that answer... How come you didn't tell me? We tell eachother everything!" She whispered across to him but let him have his space, he looked back at her again and shrugged.

"It doesn't matter" he murmured, tensing as he felt the alphas eyes got on the back of his head.

"Of course it matters! Who was it with?" Cassie had to admit she was a bit excited - Could this mean he had found his mate? "Will you at least tell me if it was your mate?" She continued to whisper across to him as he squirmed uncomfortably, not knowing what the right thing to say was with the alpha right there.

"N-no one. It really doesn't matter, let's talk about something else"

Cassie was about to bombard him with questions again but just as her mouth opened, the food arrived and both Sam and Markus thanked the goddess for the distraction.


	10. CHAPTER TEN

Once they arrived home, both subs piled out cheerfully and said shy goodbyes to the alpha before heading back to Cassie's room to gossip over how laid back Markus had been and whether or not he had suffered a horrendous head injury lately. 

Markus himself slipped away to his own bedroom to lie on his bed and go over the trip in his mind, committing all the little details to memory. The omega's cute voice singing, his eyes staring up at him, his soft hair in his lap... and the feeling of his tiny body pressed against the back of him as he hid from that cree- Markus shot up and leapt from his bed, throwing his door open and tearing down the hallways until he arrived at the omega's room. He quickly rapped his knuckles on the door but there was no answer. After peeking inside he retreated and tried Cassie's room. 

"Oh, hello again Markus" This time the ringlet-haired sub greeted him in the doorway but he brushed past her and grabbed the omega by his forearm, dragging him out the door and back to his own room and then into his en suite. The omega had told Cassie not to worry and let himself be led obediently into the small bathroom.

"Lift your sleeve" The alpha ordered.

"W-What?" Sam gave a surprised look,

"Let me see your arm"

"O-oh" He lifted his sleeve carefully and watched Markus pick up a loofa and a bar of mint soap, leading him to the sink and running warm water over the numbers penned onto his arm before beginning his gentle, methodical cleansing. The omega blushed and held as still as he could, enjoying the rare tenderness from his mate. 

When Markus was finished, he dried Sam's arm with one of his soft towels and pulled the sleeve back down. 

"There." He spoke softly, "Now, don't let me ever see a man come within three feet of you again - or there will be consequences" The threat was growled, low and deep and Sam had to suppress a moan. "Off you go"

Sam nodded and stumbled out.

~

The second week started uneventfully as all the new wolves seemed to be settling into their new classes and blending into new friend groups. Although Cassie often felt Karliah's eyes boring into the back of her head - She thankfully hadn't made any more attempts to touch her and for that she was half grateful... and half disappointed. Her wolf had plagued her with quite a few dreams now of a blonde woman toying with her body... teasing her until she would awake drenched in sweat and panting, desperate for more. She didn't know how much longer she could wait for Karliah to come to her...

~

Mr Dale pulled out the whiteboard-on-wheels and began to write the day's topic on it. Once he stepped back there was a murmur throughout the room as they all read the word on the board in large block lettering: COLLARING.

"Right, let's see what you kids know about this - anyone want to tell us something they know?" He looked around the room and no one put their hand up, the subs looked uncomfortable and a lot of the doms genuinely didn't seem to understand the significance of the topic. Mr Dales sighed and grabbed a stack of plain paper, he wandered down the aisles handing it out until everyone had a piece. "Right, let's make a spider diagram of any little pieces of information - you don't have to know everything, just give me a little bit and I'll fill in the rest" he said, leaning back against his desk, black marker in hand. Cassie raised her arm and he nodded for her to speak.

"Collaring is what mean doms do when their subs refuse to be marked" She made sure to give Karliah a pointed look as she said this and then turned back to the front.

"Well, I guess you could see it that way, although I don't know if that's how we'll write it in the diagram..." Mr Dale added, "How about we put 'Collaring is an extreme resort, brought in by a dominant because they refuse to leave their sub unmarked'? I think that's better than saying it's because they're mean" He smiled and Cassie nodded. As he wrote it on the board all the students added it to their diagram. "Anyone else?" The teacher turned back to the class and saw Sam's hand up, a look of surprise flitted across his face at the shy boy and nodded at him to say his piece.

Sam looked around the room nervously before he spoke,

"C-Collaring hurts" His voice was barely audible but thankfully Mr Dale caught it and was able to repeat for him,

"Yes, Lunar Collars do hurt and I would never recommend using them on your partner" he gave a stern look over the doms but many of them just gave him a bored stare in reply, "but you know kids, there are other collars. Ones that humans like to wear-"

"With ribbons and lace!" A red headed sub piped up suddenly with a smile, before realising she had interrupted and sinking into her chair.

"Yes! Exactly, there are Dominants who use collars without magical effects you know-"

"What good does that do? How does it stop other wolves from taking what's yours?" Markus barked from the back, many subs jumped in their seats but Sam the worst, he looked terrified.

"I would appreciate it if you all would let me finish before throwing your two cents into the pile" Mr Dale snapped, causing the subs to jolt again and the doms to huff. "Now, first let's add the non-magical collars to our diagram - and to answer your question Markus, they serve just as well as a lunar collar in respects to warding off other wolves because lunar collars are more for keeping the... sub from straying to the other wolves rather than the other way around." He smiled meekly and added a line to the diagram on the board. "But if you're worried about your mate's loyalty, I would never suggest a lunar collar either - It is an outdated and frankly inhumane weapon of abuse and for all the emotional, psychological and physical pain you will cause your mate, they are far more likely to hate you than submit to you once you remove it". He added this to the diagram too in two separate parts. His students diligently copied down his notes. 

"Sir?" A sub called from the back with his hand in the air.

"Yes, Jasper?" Mr Dale swung around on his heels.

"I-Is your mate... collared?" He blushed as he spoke, it wasn't bad manners to ask about someone's mate but this was a bit personal - Which is why every other teenager in the room hoped that Mr Dale would answer. The man in question gave a small chuckle before he spoke,

"Not that it's any of your business - And the lot of you really don't need to get quite so excited - but yes, my mate wears a non-magical collar... although he is also marked" He smiled softly at the thought. Many of the subs smiled dreamily at the thought of a pretty collar to wear, showing off their ownership for all to see. "Anyway, back to the topic at hand - Anyone else have anything they want to add?"


	11. CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was as Cassie hovered in front of her locker after DSH, her collaring notes still clutched in hand, when Brandon seemed to notice her for the first time. Sam had run off... to help the alpha with something? She wasn't sure but she also wasn't worried, he had become quite a bit more independent in the short two weeks since they had started at their new school. 

Her long ringlets bounced between her shoulder blades as she swapped notepads and books in her locker, completely absorbed in her task when a shadow cast itself over her and blocked her view of the inside. A hot breath ran down the back of her neck and she twisted her neck, expecting twin blonde plaits and sharp eyes twinkling down at her... Maybe hoping was a better word. But her eyes were cast upon a young man instead, maybe a year older than her with dark eyes and hair, freckles sprinkled across his nose and sharp cheekbones. He was good-looking... Very much so... But there was something quite frightening about him - Was it an aura? Or his expression? Something sent shivers through her... and not the sexy kind.

"C-Can I help you?" She asked, fiddling with the bottom of her skirt.

"Maybe" He took a quick look over his shoulder, she took the opportunity to take a small sniff in his direction - Beta, she thought, although he didn't have a face she recognised from any pack with territory near her.

"What does that even mean?" She frowned.

"It means..." He leaned in and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, grazng her cheek ever so gently with his knuckles. He chuckled and suddenly grabbed a handful of her curls in his hand tightly - She gasped and winced.

"OW! W-What are you doing?" She whimpered, her hands gripping his wrist, "You're hurting me!" She whined. She could feel the presence of his wolf overpowering her without even needing to come out, she could feel its dominant strength radiating from him. 

"You're hurting me!" He mimicked in a high whiny voice, releasing her hair and shoving her back. "I'll see you later chubs" He winked and strode away. Cassie blinked in confusion and turned back to her locker, twisting to look down both ends of the hallway every few minutes, nervous that she might see his limp dark hair working its way back through the other heads bobbing in the crowd. When she was done she made her way out, her thoughts trailing off and distracting her as she clutched her shiny pink plastic backpack to her chest and rested her chin on the handle.

Before she knew it she was already halfway home when a silver car slowed beside her, the driver's window rolling down.

"Why are you walking?" Cassie's head snapped up and turned to scan the face she has been hoping to see since the freckled boy had left.

"Karliah" Her voice came out as a soft exhale, part relief and part fear. The blonde gave a small smile and tilted her head,

"You seem a bit dazed - Want a ride home?" Cassie stopped walking and considered the offer for a moment before replying,

"Yes, please" She watched Karliah roll to a halt, grinning as she opened the passenger door for her. Cassie plodded up to the car and climbed inside. "Thanks" She murmured.

"So, which pack are you from?" The silver eyed alpha pulled back into the road, relaxing into her seat.

"Scarlett Moon"

"Ah, that's not far - what a shame... I was hoping we could have some fun" She winked cheekily and turned the corner. Cassie blushed and looked away, 

"W-What kind of fun?" 

"The kind where I get to hear more of your pretty voice" Karliah's voice was deep and smooth and it made Cassie want to clench her legs together. She knew exactly what Karliah wanted but she would never say it, part of her enjoyed being coaxed.

"Like, twenty questions?" Her voice was raspy now... She couldn't bring herself to actually look into those sharp eyes, framed with even sharper eyebrows, she was too worried of how she would feel if she did... That a wave of lust might hit her just too hard.

"More like... this" She slid her hand under the smaller girl's pastel pink skirt, slowly running her hand along the soft skin of Cassie's inner thighs... Chubby thighs that she could squish between her fingers and pinch to be rewarded with soft gasps from her little sub. Hers. She kept her eyes on the road and let the sweet sounds caress her ears as she finally trailed her way to Cassie's wet panties. The sub jerked back and gripped the armrests, digging her small nails into the seat and snapping her legs closed on Karliah's exploring hand at the shock of sensation running over her vulva.

"A-Ahhh" Cassie's back arched... Only her seat belt holding her to the chair.

"Open your legs, baby" Karliah cooed. As the vice released on her hand she began to dig deeper, rubbing against her lips through her thin underwear, sliding through her juices and gliding around her clit. "Good girl" She grunted, still never taking her eyes off the road.

"P-Please" A whimper, but Karliah heard.

"Please what?" She teased.

"More... I c-can't... Please more!" Cassie's hands ran up the seat and gripped the head rest, throwing her head back to grind back against the alpha's probing fingers. She didn't need to say it again and Karliah slipped a finger inside of her, one hand still perfectly manoeuvring the car with ease. She could feel her heart pulsing in her crotch, the intensity clouding her vision.

"Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah" A small moan burst from Cassie with every thrust of Karliah's long rough finger, and very quickly, fingers. Sparks of pleasure igniting her blood with every stroke. 

"Such a good girl" Cassie shivered at the praise, her mouth hanging open in pleasure.

"Aaaaah! Oh god..." 

"Just a little more, we're almost at your pack house" She could hear the chuckle in Karliah's voice as she began to thrust harder and faster, turning onto a dirt path off the main road. Cassie recognised the forest flying past the car as her pack's territory and spread her legs wider, grabbing hold of Karliah's wrist to push her deeper inside. Her cunt clenching and spasming from the incredible pleasure coursing through her. The sensations built and built, soon her stomach thighs were clenching too and halfway down the long winding drive to her pack house, she came. She threw her body forward, curled over the hand still playing with her... drawing her orgasm out long and hard.

"Oh! Fuck! Fuck! Please!" Cassie cried.

"Ssssh you did so well baby" The taller girl stroked her gently, a smile playing on her lips as she pulled up to the huge house. Once she had put her handbrake on she pulled her hand from between Cassie's legs, licking at the juices on her fingers delicately like sweet syrup. 

Cassie took a deep breath and let her body slide down the seat, trembles racking every limb and causing her breaths to shake as they left her. Karliah unbuckled her seat belt and turned her body to watch the aftereffects wrack the small girl's body. 

"You look so cute when you tremble" Karliah bit her lip and attempted to tucked a long curl behind the smaller girl's ear but Cassie jumped back, suddenly aware and alert. Brought back to reality by the familiar motion... The same as the freckled boy from before... "What's wrong?" Karliah looked into her eyes, placing her hands on either side of Cassie's round cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"F-Fine... Sorry" Cassie grabbed her backpack from the floor of the car and reached for the handle, "I... I have to go..." She gave Karliah a sheepish look before jumping out and running round the back of the pack house. Her knickers still dripping slightly from her orgasm.

Karliah fell back in her seat and let out a long sigh... Had she pushed her too hard too fast again? Maybe she needed to practice some more self control... Her wolf snorted inside of her, there was no way she could hold back her wolf from it's mate for long, but she couldn't understand why Cassie couldn't feel the connection too... She sighed again and swung her car around, pulling away and starting down the driveway.

~

Sam lurched forward, almost sending himself over the edge of the king sized bed, pain blossomed across his backside from the strike. 

"P-Please, Sir" He panted, gripping the sheets beneath him in his small bony hands. 

"Are you trying to run away from me?" Markus' rough voice sent shivers down the omega's spine. A large firm hand wrapped itself around the back of his thigh, (almost the entire way around) and dragged him back across the bed and into position. Sam held still, his legs hanging over the bed but his feet unable to reach the ground. The hulking younger man brought down the belt again, lashing just beneath the line where his pert bum met his thighs. Sam yelped and his feet jerked up to cover his back end. Markus pushed them back down and took another shot, this time purely to the left cheek and in quick succession another strike to his right; both earning him sweet whimpers and gasps. The pale boy's breaths were laboured now, panting into the soft sheets beneath him.

"I-It hurts!" Sam whined quietly, rubbing his red face in the sheets.

"It's supposed to" Chuckled the alpha, but he dropped the belt and ran his bare hand over his little mate's bottom, enjoying the warmth of his skin where he trailed patterns and symbols. Sam let his body melt into the mattress, turning to mush under the gentle tracing of Markus' fingers over the mounds of his backside and slowly up his tailbone, spine and neck. 

"Mmmm..." Was all Sam replied, curling his hands up by his head and letting his eyelids droop closed, almost letting himself nod off when a sharp smack broke him out of his peaceful thoughts.

"Don't you fall asleep in my bed" Markus barked, bringing down his bare hand again to the centre of Sams butt in a sharp arc.

"Oooow!" Sam pushed his front half up from the sheets with a pout. Markus gave him a hard pinch to the backside which only drew out more whines from his omega. The blue eyed boy whimpered, "How much more, Sir?".

"As much as I want" He growled back, taking another swat. "You'll be here till I'm satisfied..." 

Sam let his head drop down onto the bed, his body trembling and his breathing laboured. Why does it feel so good when he treats me so bad?

~

It wasn't more than a few days before Brandon made his next appearance. Unbeknown to the curvy sub he was trailing behind her through the school as she made her way to her first lesson. Watching her raven pleated skirt flow around her thighs and her small waist swaying under her thin burgundy cardigan layered over a cream silk blouse. When she swerved out of the eyesight of any teachers he lunged, grabbing the strap of Cassie's bra through her clothes from behind and yanking her back into his chest. She lost her footing and found herself dragged backwards round a corridor and under the cover of a staircase. 

"L-let me g-Mmmm!" Cassie protested but the tall boy gripped his hand over her mouth. She tried to elbow him and he pulled her arms back behind her in a painful grip, one hand still across her mouth as she let out muffled cries of fear and anger.

"You have no idea how much I love to hear a sub cry" He whispered menacingly in her ear, giving a harsh bite to the outer rim of her ear. She jumped and squirmed from the pain. "Come on" He snarled against her ear, digging his short nails into her forearms, "Call out... let me hear those pretty sounds...". Cassie wriggled her body but grit her teeth - She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her voice. He chuckled in her ear, tracing his teeth from her cartilage and nibbling his way down her lobe, giving a quick tug before continuing, grazing down her neck and to her collarbone where he nipped and pulled at the skin, drawing out small violet stains and red indents.

"Mm-Mmm!" She tried to growl, allowing her wolf's anger to burst forth from her. "MMGGH!"

"What was that supposed to be?" He snorted against her neck, letting out his own deep, rumbling growl with his lips pressed against her skin, inviting her to feel what a real growl is.

"MMMMM!" She whined, his wolf was dominating hers with a barely audible growl and knew soon she wouldn't be able to hold herself back from submitting to him. 

"Cute" He smirked against the soft, bruised skin where her neck met her shoulder. "Whine for me again... And I'll let you go right now" He murmured. She shivered and scrunched her eyebrows together... Whine? He wanted her to whine? "One of those adorable little submissive whimpers..." He added, dragging his teeth over the marks he had made over and over. The sensations stung and throbbed through her collarbone until eventually a strained moan of pain pushed back against his hand. "Good girl".

No, don't call me that. Only Karliah... Karliah calls me that...

The beta unhooked her arms and let her stumble forward, turning back for only a moment to see him grinning proudly, letting her legs drag her off down the corridor as fast as she could. Although not before catching his parting call,

"My name's Brandon by the way, doll - And I'll see you soon". 

Cassie skipped the rest of her first lesson and spent the rest of the day glued to Sam's side, an old hoodie from the bottom of her locker covering the indigo watercolour masterpiece around her neck. The insufferable heat worth saving her dignity.


	12. CHAPTER TWELVE

"Miss Linette?" Mrs Gomez barked, for the third time. Cassie jerked up in her chair, her eyes snapping open. 

"Hmm?" 

"I believe the words you were looking for are 'Yes Mrs Gomez'" The maths teacher spoke sternly, but not angrily. Cassie could feel the entire classroom staring at her, some looking at her with eyes of pity and others with amusement.

"Yes M'Gomesh" She mumbled, blinking owlishly. Various members of the class snickered under their breath and Cassie rested her chin on her hands, leaning to the side slightly with the fight to stay awake. Mrs Gomez sighed and turned back to the whiteboard. Cassie hadn't been sleeping well the last few days... Over the weekend she had kept nodding off and jerking back awake, her body too nervous and jumpy to let her sleep for long. Now it was Monday morning, and she had slurped her way through three cups of coffee just to keep her awake long enough to reach the school. She was racked with trembles through her body when she was awake but found herself quickly falling into the abyss of sleep against her will every ten minutes. Stress. Worry. Anxiety. Gnawing away at her chest since Brandon left her under those stairs, humiliated and marked. Well, not marked as a mate would, but still patterned across her neck and shoulders with a considerable blossom of blue, purple and red contusions. She was hidden beneath another oversized hoodie, (Thank goodness for the random pile of hand-me-downs that get left in the laundry room for Sam...) the arms fell past her hands and the bottom reached past her own bottom. She rarely wore trousers or shorts usually but she couldn't help the desperate urge to cover herself, to hide her body away from prying eyes.

The rest of the lesson passed before her eyes, barely registering in her brain as she continued to go round for round with the force trying to drag her eyes closed. As the other students trailed out to their next class, her teacher called her to the front to give her a lecture on getting enough sleep and going to bed early. She nodded compliantly, although she knew her bedtime wasn't the problem. Thankfully, the older woman appeared to take pity on her and told her to use the rest of her second period to take a nap in the first-aid room, writing her a note with a sigh.

Cassie tottered down the hallway in a daze, bumbling into walls and lockers, unsure of where she was headed. She kept wandering until her body ran out of perky juice and she crashed beside a line of lockers. Crumpling to her knees on the hard floor, letting her body fold down into a ball with her head in her arms. She let out deep breaths, trying to gain control over her body again... Maybe even to help herself drop into darkness... She didn't know if she wanted to stay awake or to sleep forever... Everything was foggy...

~

A sick feeling, deep in her gut. Mate. Karliah's wolf growled inside of her. Mate help. Something was wrong... But Cassie wasn't marked, so she couldn't feel the link strongly enough to distinguish what it was... But she didn't care what it was - She needed to find her brunette baby. Now. The alpha raised her hand and requested permission to use the toilet. She stepped out of the classroom instantly began to sniff at the air, searching desperately for the bouquet of scents that would lead her on the trail to her mate. Her footsteps pounded down the tiled floor, checking every corridor she passed. Cassie had a beautiful smell, sweet but not clinging and sticky... Like the fragrance of flowers rather than fruit...

The scent became stronger and stronger as she followed it fervently, her movements nimble but forceful with deep harsh breaths, taking in as much of her mate's scent as she could to track her down. Once she reached the main corridor of B block she caught sight of her mate.

Her eyes laid upon the heap of a girl on the floor, blonde brows pulling together in worry as she bolted to the small, curvy girl's side and knelt beside her. Her rough hands ran through copper curls, revealing a small heart shaped face, eyes closed and bottom lip poking out in an adorable pout. Karliah gently pulled her mate's voluptuous body into her lap, the small limbs curling over the edges of her outstretched arms. Something was wrong, she felt Cassie's temperature and pulse with the backs of her long finger but both seemed fine.

Her sharp eyes raked over the short sub's body, checking for anything out of place. Running her fingertips over the other's body gently. When her gaze settled on Cassie's neck she stiffened, there were bruises. Mark? Her wolf growled angrily inside of her and try as she might, she couldn't fully hold back the rage washing through her. Someone has touched her. Her wolf grumbled. She pulled the ridiculously large sweatshirt loose around Cassie's shoulders, sliding the sleeves of her top down her shoulders to appraise the smaller girl's delicate shoulders. Dark discolourations spread in thick circular shapes up and down her neck and across her collar bone. Bites. Someone bit her neck. Were they trying to mark her? 

Karliah pulled the girl tightly into her arms and nuzzled her nose amongst the marks, her anger still brewing beneath the surface - but now wasn't the time. Something was wrong with Cassie - Was she sick? The alpha decided it was better safe than sorry and pushed herself off the ground, carrying Cassie bridal-style and making her way to first-aid. 

With the hallways deserted she arrived quickly, rapping on the half-open door with her knuckles. 

"Come in" The nurse called, leaning back in her chair to look at the pair; her black and purple braids, twisted into a high bun on top of her head, wobbled as she twisted to see them. "What happened to her?" She asked.

"I don't know... I could feel something was wrong - I could feel it-" Karliah began to ramble. Her usually calm and strong mentality crumbling with worry over her mate. The nurse stood and walked to her, she had a peaceful aura and relaxed stance that made Karliah feel a little more at ease - But not enough.

"She's your mate?" The nurse clarified with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Yes" Karliah nodded, "I found her, but she was unconscious when I got there - She doesn't have a temperature and her breathing is fine but she had just passed out right next to the lockers and I don't know why!" She carried Cassie to one of the two clean cots on the far side of the room and carefully placed her down on the crisp white sheets.

"Okay, I'll check her over - You get back to class" The nurse picked up her bag of everyday kit and walked to the other side of the bed; Karliah didn't move, watching the woman with hard eyes. She wasn't going anywhere without her mate. The nurse sighed, "At least take a seat over there if you're going to stay - I don't want you hovering over me" And then muttering, "Kids these days are getting taller and taller... What on Earth are they feeding them?" Karliah obeyed this time and sat on one of the hard plastic chairs, waiting as patiently as she could while her wolf grumbled. The nurse pulled round the curtain and began her examination.

After about fifteen agonising minutes the nurse packed up her things and re-opened the blue plastic curtain,

"She'll be fine - She fainted from exhaustion so I want her to rest here for a bit. She also has some bruising across her neck and thighs but I'm guessing that's your handiwork?" She was trying to be lighthearted to raise the mood but the passing comment had quite the opposite effect. Karliah growled low in her throat and answered,

"No, I didn't cause those marks" But before the nurse could do more than raise her eyebrows and look surprised, the alpha had stalked to her mate's bedside and pulled the curtain closed. Effectively ending the awkward conversation. She took the single seat beside the sterile cot and slid her hand through the bars of the bed to hold Cassie's hand, rubbing small circles on her soft skin. The nurse had removed her hoodie and now she lay in just her white top, blue three-quarter-length jeans, white trainer socks and low converse. It was the first time she had seen her in anything but a skirt, it was cute.

~

Mate. Cassie's wolf purred in pleasure. Mate here. She felt so warm and cosy... Dozing in and out... She could smell the comforting scent of clean, fresh sheets mingled with... Something muskier... Something that made her stomach clench and her wolf writhe inside of her. 

Her eyes slowly cracked open, blinking rapidly at the harsh lights above her. She let out a soft gasp, rolling onto her side to shield her face. As her vision cleared, she realised she was blinking into the silver eyes of Karliah.

"Hey sleepyhead" The alpha spoke in a low, gentle tone; Cassie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and let a sincere smile spread across her face for the first time in days.

"H-Hi" She whispered. Karliah grinned at her, squeezing her right hand. She looked exhausted and ruffled - Her usually uniform dirty blonde double braids were unkempt and fraying with flyaway hairs.

"What happened?" Karliah asked, her eyes creasing with concern. How could her mate let herself get this exhausted?

"I... I was so tired..." The smaller girl mumbled. Thinking back to her morning classes... what time was it now?

"But why?" She pressed, Cassie just sighed and turned away. She didn't want to reveal what happened with Brandon... It was too embarrassing... She shrugged instead of giving a real answer. "You need to take better care of y-" Karliah began her own lecture - gratingly similar to Mrs Gomez's own seminar this morning on self-care.

"I wanna sleep some more" Cassie interrupted. Rolling onto her other side with her back to the alpha - but not letting go of her warm hand.

"Can I stay with you?" Karliah's voice was soft again, almost pleading.

"Yeah" Cassie whispered; She closed her eyes... Just a bit longer... I'll get up really soon... Her breathing slowed down to match Karliah's deep breaths... Drifting into a trance-like state... The fear and anxiety melting away with the strength of the alpha's hand in hers.


	13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN

She was hiding something and Karliah knew it. But she didn't want to ruin the moment by starting an argument about it... Her mate was curled around her hand, snoozing on the bed with that sweet little pout back on her lips. For now... She would let it go. 

It was almost the end of the school day when Cassie had awoken but Karliah didn't have the heart to force her up. She told herself she would wait until the crowds had calmed down to carry her to her car. But if she was honest with herself - if Cassie kept using that adorable pout on her they would never leave that room and she wouldn't even complain . She settled into the uncomfortable hard, plastic seat with the soft, relaxing feel of her mate's heart beating against her hand.

~

"Please... I'm sorry" Sam sobbed, his hands covering his face as he backed away from the fury of his Alpha. 

"This place is filthy - What the hell are you doing with all that free time?" He barked, following him back. 

"I don't have free time!" Sam yelled in anger, he didn't mean to let it out but it just slipped straight from his lips. Free time? He spent all his time cleaning or at the academy or sucking his dick! It wasn't fair.

"Was that back-talk?" Markus' voice was cold and unbending, "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" His voice was so powerful it almost knocked the omega clean over - He was using his alpha voice now. And it affects omegas far worse than others, it made him cringe and whine in fear.

"I'm sorry!... I'm so sorry!" Sam's tears began to flow free, he was trembling from head to toe.

"Come here!" Markus reached for him but missed when the omega jerked back in shock.

"No!" He cried, tears running down his cheek at full force now. His back hit the wall and Markus slammed his fists either side of his small, lithe body, growling in his face threateningly. "P-please" He whimpered, his bottom lip trembling.

"There are piles of dishes in the sink, the floors are sticky and my sheets aren't even changed - These are all your jobs" He pressed his forehead to the omega's, growling out his words, "As your alpha, don't you think it's my responsibility to punish you?" Sam slid down the wall, bringing himself to his knees on the floor.

"I-I know" He whispered; Markus stepped back as Sam slipped himself down into a full body bow, pushing his back out across the wooden floor to show his pure submission. His dark hair covering his face and his small shirt sliding up his back to show a teasing glimpse of the faint freckles that splattered from his shoulder blades, down his spine and following to his tailbone. The alpha sighed in frustration - His wolf struggled to stay angry when he saw his mate spreading himself out in such open and unabashed submission, but he had to assert his dominance. His pack would never take him seriously if he didn't have the power keep everyone in line. He huffed,

"Take your clothes off" He barked. The omega followed his orders, hurriedly pulling off his plain blue top, jeans and finally his underwear, folding them all in a small pile on the floor. "Go to the corner" He pointed to the left corner by the large book cases in his office, Sam walked nervously to the corner, knowing what punishment was coming. "Now kneel" His alpha ordered, and of course he complied, his knees spread slightly on the hard wood floor. Sam pulled his hands behind his head, interlocking his fingers like he had done many times before. "You will stay there until I feel you finally understand your place in this pack house" Markus stalked back to his desk to get on with the pile of work his father had assigned him - To start getting him prepared for when he took over as the official alpha of Scarlet Moon.

~

"C'mon baby..." Karliah murmured, "It's time to wake up..." She stroked Cassie's face with her free hand and watched the little sub's forest green eyes fluttering open and rolling around, trying to make sense of where she was and why she was there. Their eyes met and for a moment she looked so serene before shooting up in the hard sterile cot, grabbing hold of the metal side bars and glancing around but all she could see was blue curtains and Karliah watching her carefully. "Are you okay, Cassie?"

"Hmm?" She blinked slowly, feeling sluggish and stupid as her brain was still grappling with how to form words again after her long and well-needed doze.

"How're you feeling?" She reiterated, squeezing the smaller girl's thigh gently.

"O-Okay, I guess..." Cassie couldn't hold eye contact with her, worried she would ask about her tiredness or her bruises. "What time is it?"

"It's four"

"Oh god..." She sighed, putting her head in her hands. So much wasted time! 

"It's okay, I'll drive you home and explain everything to your alpha"

"Thanks..." She gave a small smile, "I don't suppose you have notes on the lessons I missed too though?" 

"Ah... No, sorry - I don't even have notes for my own classes" She laughed awkwardly, "I'm sure I can convince one of my betas to give me theirs though and I'll make you a copy" She offered with a wink. Caddie blinked for a few moments, taking in this new cute Karliah. She had always seemed so stern, mature and scary... It was strange to Cassie to see her looking cheeky and child-like. She finally managed to get hold of her voice again - and a grip on her simpering wolf. 

"Thank you... For all of this..." The submissive felt embarrassed saying these things to the alpha who had been toying with her for the last few weeks. Although when she thought about it, Karliah had never made her feel the way Brandon did... That sour churning in her stomach and awful burning of shame inside her chest. When Karliah touched her she was always left wanting more, her wolf pining after her attention and invading her dreams with replays of anytime the alpha caressed her in any way.

"Don't mention it" Karliah seemed just as awkward now. Cassie noted that when the taller girl blushed, the rose colouring spread over the bridge of her nose as well as her cheeks. She liked it.

~

Sam had been in the corner for what felt like hours, the hard wood floor was causing his knees to burn... And his nakedness was causing his face to burn. No one had come in so far and he didn't dare to look over at his Alpha. He wondered if having him in sight was helping his anger to subside or if it was keeping it bubbling at the surface. Usually he would have received a few hits with the crop by now... His human side was relieved while his wolf was disappointed at the lack of attention - good or bad.

~

The drive home was tense, but Cassie couldn't place why. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, not too fast but she could feel it pounding in her throat. She was trying to keep her legs and hands still but every now and then a tremble broke through. Her wolf was unusually quiet so she ruled her out. Although maybe that's what she needed... To shift and have a run... The smaller girl tried to keep her breathing even; That's it, just need a run... That's all it is.

If Karliah felt the same way she wasn't showing it; she lounged in her seat as she drove, her head tilted slightly. Cassie would allow herself small glances at the alpha, but not too often and not for too long. There was something very satisfying about her face that was soothing to look at. Like those YouTube videos of squashing watermelons or stretching goo. 

She had sharp facial features, her jawline could probably give Cassie a paper cut and her nose was perfectly straight. She had a few faint scars under her left eye, maybe a millimetre above her distended cheekbones. Cassie couldn't tell what they were from, maybe small cuts or acne. They were pretty shallow but looked like they'd been there for some time. 

Her thick dark blonde eyebrows pulled together and before Cassie could pretend she wasn't just analysing every inch of her bronze skin, those stormy grey eyes were connected with hers.

"Why don't you take a picture? It would last longer." Karliah teased, one side of her thin mouth pulling up into a lopsided grin. Cassie felt her face warming up and her heart jump into her throat. Words. Use your words!

It was then that she realised... They were already at the pack house - She hadn't even noticed the car stopping... 

"I-" She started, "I sh-should go... " She grabbed her backpack off the floor of the car, "Thank you!" She bleated, grabbing the door handle, "Thank you for all your help!" 

But when she pulled on the handle, nothing. She blushed harder, I am making such a fool of myself! It's just a door handle - you're not an imbecile just open it! She tried again and it wouldn't open, and once more before Karliah interrupted her great escape,

"It's locked" Her voice was smooth and calm.

"Wh-why?" 

"Because..." She sighed, her face struggling to hold its cool expression as she looked like she was having an internal battle. "Because I wanted to ask you something..."

Oh god, it's those bloody bruises! 

"Don't ask me about the bruises" She snapped, surprised at her own courage. 

"Why not?" Karliah pressed.

"Because I can't tell you!" 

"Are you seeing someone?!" The alpha barked. She was rising in her seat as she got more annoyed. Cassie couldn't understand why she was so angry; It's none of her business!

"No!" She replied incredulously, "Why would you think that?" She looked confused, "And why would that be any of your business?" She demanded.

"Because you are covered in bruises.... I thought someone had tried to mark you!" She growled, angry now at her mate's ignorance. She was kneeling on her seat, hulking over the smaller girl.

"And again, how is that your business?!" Cassie folded her arms across her chest, not to look serious but to keep them from shaking.

"How are you so blind?!" Karliah shouted, her voice reverberating through the car. Cassie jumped and looked up at her with those big green eyes, now filling with tears. Karliah sighed and let her body slide back down her chair to sit normally. 

"I want to go home" Cassie whispered, the first tears slid down her cheeks. Karliah brought her hand up to wipe her cheeks but she flinched away. 

"I'm sorry, Cassie" The alpha murmured, she put her arms out and pulled the brunette into her lap. "It's just so painful waiting for you to see what I see" Cassie didn't know what that meant but her wolf was happy to be wrapped in her arms so she didn't fight her on it. She lay there, letting out the occasional sniff and clinging to Karliah's shirt with her hands. 

Karliah curled her body around the sub's, feeling guilt wash through her in harsh waves.

~

Every now and then Markus would sigh or groan under his breath and shuffle some pages in between clacking the keys on his laptop. His work was frustrating him, but not as much as Sam was... Watching his slender body trembling in the corner was testing his patience and he hadn't been able to get as much work done as he would have usually in the last forty minutes because it took all of his effort to simply keep his eyes off that pretty pale skin and all it's constellations of faint freckles. Eventually, he couldn't help himself any longer and let his head turn all the way; no more small side-glances. 

He knew it would be a mistake and it was. Once he started staring full-on he found he couldn't look away. Sam's spine was stretched out with his perfect posture... Still the exact same as when he first knelt.

"Come here" Sam jumped at Markus' gravelly voice, but quickly pushed himself off the floor, trying his best to ignore the pain in his knees. He walked to the large chair that sat the alpha but kept his eyes downcast. Markus turned his chair to face him, "Sit on my lap" He ordered. 

Sam blinked up at him but only hesitated for a second before putting his hands onto the armrests to lift himself up and into a kneeling position on the chair with his knees balanced either side of Markus', holding his hips up. He didn't want to look into Markus' eyes from pure shame so he kept his own trained on the larger boy's adam's apple. After a long silence, Sam whispered,

"Sir, are you sill angry with me?" Markus shifted in his seat and rested his chin on the crown of Sam's head.

"No" He grunted, sliding his lips down the side of the omega's face. "I just..." He began to murmur into Sam's jaw but stopped himself... He didn't know what he just wanted... So he settled for spinning his chair back to face his desk and pushed Sam back against it, watching him stumble backwards, unintentionally spreading his legs to the golden-eyed alpha when they got caught in the arm rests. Markus lowered his head to Sam's belly button and began biting harshly around the edge and dipping his tongue inside. Playing with this Snow White skin he loved so much, such a contrast to his own, and so beautiful to leave dark marks on.

Sam bit down on his bottom lip to hide the soft moans. Markus let his mouth wander lower to the V of his hips, using his tongue to mark his trail before following back over with his teeth.

"I-I..." Sam whimpered, "Please!" His feet were still trapped between Markus' thick thighs and the metal arm rests of the chair.

"What?" Markus groaned teasingly against his mid-section, "What do you want?" He ran his tongue back up the flat stomach and chest of his mate, feeling the tremors underneath the wet muscle. He reached the small, hard and pink nipples and grabbed onto them with his teeth viciously. Sam jerked beneath him, throwing his head back with a loud, uncontrollable moan. His tousled cocoa toned hair lay against Markus' oak wood desk of a similar shade. 

"F-Fu-" Sam gasped. Markus released his nipple to growl,

"That had better have been 'fudge' you were about to say" 

"Fudge" The omega breathed. He let his body drop fully onto the large work surface. Markus chuckled before grabbing onto his other nipple to continue the attack. He pulled and licked and sucked on the two blush buds until they were swollen and scarlet. He let the omega moan without complaint - Almost the entire pack would be out enjoying the last few weeks of warm weather in the woods. 

The smaller boy was panting beneath him, squirming his tiny body against the desk and it was turning Markus on. His erection was pressing against Sam's own and he began to grind against him.

"Ah! Aaaah!" Sam pushed back with him, his open legs wrapping around his alphas waist now. He pushed back with the little strength he had, letting out adorable whimpers as he tried his hardest to rub himself to climax. Markus enjoyed every sound and squirm that came from his little omega, watching his mate barely able to handle the pleasure had his dick leaking precum. "P-please!" Sam cried, "Ah! Ah!" He began to yelp in time with Markus's jerking hips. 

Markus' trousers and underwear vs Sam's nakedness meant the blue-eyes boy was being pushed much closer to the edge. He could see it in his eyes as they clouded over and his body as everything began to tense and clench up. Markus brought his face down to his, shoved his tongue in the omega's mouth and continued to rub his bulge on him. He could still hear the omega's moans in his mouth even as he wrapped his tongue around the other's, toying and sucking on it. 

He felt Sam's tiny hands suddenly grip onto his biceps, clinging on for dear life as his hips bucked and jerked and his tongue fought back against Markus', fighting for dominance. The alpha ran his hands down the boys side, enjoying the feeling of his silky skin before grabbing his thighs and pulling them out and as wide as they would go - which was flat either side of his torso, bent at the knee. 

Sam moaned into his mouth and ground harder back against Markus who dug his fingers into the pale thighs and moaned back when he felt the omega shudder beneath him; he was coming. His little mate lost it, screaming around Markus' tongue and squeezing his eyes closed as the pleasure racked his body. The alpha almost came just watching his gorgeous blue eyes spilling over with tears and finally released his mouth to hear the dirty sounds spilling out of it.

"Aaah! Oh god!" Sam cried, his whole body was going into spasm and he didn't even care. Markus had never let him come before and he would probably never let this happen again. When it was finally over Sam dropped like a deflated balloon onto the desk, half-sobbing and half-gasping as he tried to make sense of what just hit him. His stomach had three short lines of cum running along his navel.

Markus sat back in his seat, his boner starting to ache at the sight of his debauched mate lying on his desk. He was a mess and Markus had made him that way. He gave the smaller boy a few minutes to calm down before standing up over him and lifting him by the armpits and lowering him to the floor on his knees. He sat back in his chair in front of Sam, opened his zipper and pulled his underwear down just far enough to let his huge penis out. 

"Suck" He ordered, looking down at Sam. When he hesitated, Markus gripped his hair and pulled his face to his crotch. Sam licked his lips seductively and pulled the head of the alpha's dick into his mouth. Markus groaned and continued to pull on the dark hair, guiding him up and down and encouraging him with low growls and deep moans. "Ugh... Fuck..." 

Sam brought his hands up, using them to rub the areas he couldn't reach with his mouth and throat. He loved the sounds of Markus enjoying what he could do with his tongue... Round and round the edge of the head... Sucking gently on the tip...

"Oh Jesus... Don't fucking stop..." Markus bucked his hips into the plump rosie lips of his omega, "Aah!" He jerked a few more times before releasing with a grunt and a long groan. "Fuuuuuck..." He moaned.

Markus slumped back into his seat, breathing hard and sweating slightly. He looked down at Sam, still kneeling and watching him with those incredible azure eyes; He swallowed quietly and Markus had to desperately keep his mind out of the gutter before he got another boner. 

"Put your clothes back on and go do your chores" He commanded, speaking in a low tone. He didn't want the boy getting the wrong idea that he was suddenly looking for romance. Sam helped himself up on the desk and walked to the far corner he had left his clothes in, pulling them on quickly and exiting the room without looking back at his alpha.

~

Cassie had managed to stop sniffling and Karliah needed to get back to her pack, she twisted in her seat, pulling the smaller girl almost up to her eye level.

"I... have to get going" She sighed.

"Me too" Cassie agreed. Although technically she had needed to go twenty minutes ago but she didn't say that - Because in all honesty she had enjoyed being held by Karliah; Just like in the infirmary, she felt safe and calm. Karliah unlocked the doors and Cassie shifted to climb out but before she was fully out of the alpha's lap the dirty blonde grabbed her throat with her thumb and two fingers and pulled their lips together. Their tongues mingled briefly and Karliah sucked on Cassie's lips for a few seconds, causing them to swell - Just as her pride would swell at seeing the plumpness and redness she had caused.

It was a quick kiss but Cassie was left breathless when she pulled away, her face tomato red. She tried a second time to climb out and Karliah didn't try to stop her. As she stepped out of the car she turned back to say,

"See you tomorrow".


	14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Today, we are going to delve a bit deeper into mates" Mr Dale announced. As was usual when this area was brought up, many of the members of the class blushed while others grinned at the hope of talking about sex. 

Cassie was sat with Sam to her left and their new friend Hanmi on her right. Hanmi was a sweet and soft spoken girl with a jet black Bob that curled into her neck and a full fringe hiding her entire forehead and eyebrows. She was one of the girls in the small friend group they had made in their first week but they didn't often get to be in the same classes. Both Sam and Hanmi went red to the tips of their ears at the mention of mates.

Hanmi knew her mate but things weren't going great so far, everyone thought that once you found your mate you lived happily ever after by each other's sides but Cassie noticed that Damien (Hanmi's mate) almost never spent any time with her. She confessed to them both that while they had acknowledged that they were mates, Damien was just very disinterested. He didn't treat her badly... He didn't hurt her or say mean things... He just didn't seem to care... And Cassie couldn't understand why - Hanmi was the cutest girl she had ever seen! (Karliah being sexiest girl and Sam being cutest boy). She tried not to be too nosey and let her friend bring up her lack lustre romantic life only when she wanted to... But god, she wanted to ask so many questions, everyone was curious about mates - And everyone was desperate to find theirs as soon as possible. 

Cassie pulled her plain black notebook and pen out along with the rest of the class and took notes as the teacher began to talk.

"Right, I'm going to ask questions and I want you guys to answer them to see what you already know, no point being shy about the topic." His favourite method of teaching - Getting his students to do it for him. He pulled his whiteboard-on-wheels out and wrote the word mate in the centre, "What is a mate?" He asked. A few hands raised and he picked on another new friend of Cassie and Sam, Aminali. She was in the same pack as Hanmi and they had come to the academy as friends. Aminali was very smart and even though she was normally shy, she would always put up her hand in class.

"Mate is short for soulmate. It's the person you are meant to be with" she answered.

"Very good" Mr Dale added it to the board on a line coming from 'Mates', he loved mind maps. "Who gets to have a mate?"he asked next. His eyes scanned the room and he picked a boy in the first row.

"Everyone" They announced confidently. Mr Dale nodded with a smile.

"Even Omegas?" Joked a dominant male from the back of the class. Cassie turned around to look and noticed it was Damien... Hanmi stared straight ahead silently. Sam and the other omega in the room (Cassie didn't know what pack she was from) blushed and kept their heads down.

"Yes, of course, Damien. Omegas aren't as different as you seem to think they are - but that is a topic for another lesson. Now, why do we have mates?" Mr dale noticed that this time there weren't as many hands up and pointed at a dominant sitting in the corner to answer.

"But Sir! I didn't have my hand up!" He whined,

"Just try, Taylor"

"Uh, cause trying to find someone to bond to yourself is too much effort?" He asked in a 'duh' voice. 

"Not quite" Mr Dale smiled, "While it does help in time saving for some people - others become too obsessed and waste all their time trying to find their one." He turned back to his board and wrote as he gave the answer, 

"We have mates because a wolf should never be on its own. We are always part of a pack and we are stronger together. Your mate is the person who can bring out the most strength in you, whether that's physical strength or emotional strength." There was a rustle of paper and the scratching of pen tips as they all hurriedly copied down the answer before he moved along again. Mr Dale waited a few moments and continued with his questioning. "How do you know if someone is your mate?" This time there were absolutely no hands and Mr Dale chuckled to himself, "C'mon, surely some of you have already met your mates? I see enough kids making out in the hallways!" He teased lightheartedly, "And the rest of you should have at least heard what it's like?" No one was biting so he picked a random student again. "Mr Jones, tell me anything, just one way that you might be able to tell."

"Um, by eye contact?"

"Yes!" He added it to his diagram and pointed at someone else, "Now you, tell me one thing" 

"Scent?"

"Yep!" He continued round the class.

"Wolf presence?"

"Yes!"

"Wolf howl?"

"Great! Now, the last indicator is less known and more uncommon - heat. For those of you who don't know what that is I'm not talking about body temperature or your rating of attractiveness" He took a moment to chuckle at his own joke, "but the heat that omegas go into, which we will discuss next lesson" Those who didn't already know looked around owlishly while those who did snickered or turned tomato red. Sam and the female omega across the room both looked particularly sun burnt. Mr Dale swiftly moved on, "When do we become old enough to recognise our mates?" 

The hands were back now and Cassie raised hers,

"Miss Linette?" 

"Sixteen" She said. 

"Yes, that's right. Have all of you turned sixteen yet?" He asked as he added another line to his drawing on the whiteboard. There was a chorus of 'Yeah's in the room and the teacher began smiling that knowing smile again. These kids made him feel old... He geared himself to ask his next question, knowing no one would want to answer it. "What happens once you have found your mate?" He turned back to the class and just as he had expected, no hands. "Karliah, why don't you help me out?" He offered. The blonde raised an eyebrow and smirked,

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a golden carriage" She winked and the teacher couldn't help but smile as the class around her started laughing. He thought teenagers were obsessed with sex, and yet nothing was better at turning them into a class of toddlers than bringing up 'the dirty deed'. He let out a mock over-dramatic sigh and the class started laughing again. 

"Would you care to be more detailed, Miss Stone" He asked.

"Which part, Mr Dale?" She blinked a few times in mock innocence.

"Well, start with the marriage - last I checked, wolves don't get married."

"Okay, first comes love, then comes bonding ceremony, then comes a baby in a golden carriage." She conceded, 

"Doesn't something happen before the baby arrives?" 

"With all due respect sir, we know where babies come from." Karliah grinned and the class began snickering again. 

"No, not that! The bit just before that, the hint being the word bit" He teased.

"Marking" She answered.

"Exactly." He then proceeded to write on the board: First comes love, then comes bonding, then comes marking, then comes mating and then comes a baby in a furry carriage.

The class copied it down quickly with a few whispered conversations taking place across the room on whether Mr Dale was referring to a woman's furry undercarriage or not. 

~

Once the lesson was over, Hanmi and Aminali asked if Cassie and Sam wanted to go out with them for the afternoon and get dinner at the cute diner near their pack house, since their lessons for the week were over. But Cassie knew Sam wouldn't be allowed without permission so she claimed to have a lot of homework to get done so he wouldn't feel left out. They agreed they would text and arrange something for the next day. In the meantime Cassie planned to ask Markus, on behalf of Sam, if he could go. 

She couldn't believe a whole week was over again already, she'd been getting more sleep after her day in the nurse's office but hadn't seen Karliah much, at least not alone. When they saw each other in classes they would give each other small, almost awkward, smiles. She still hadn't really filled Sam in on the situation with the alpha but she promised herself she would, eventually.

Once they both had collected their things from their lockers, Sam and Cassie began the walk home from school. It had been a while since they'd had a chance to have a full gossip about everyone and everything - and Sam knew everything about everyone! Being the omega had its perks when it came to being allowed in everyone's rooms, being practically invisible most of the time and having access to everyone's dirty laundry - literally. He was able to tell her that he had found a used pregnancy test in the room of an unmarked and unbound woman. It was positive. Cassie hoped for her sake that it was her mate's baby. She couldn't understand why someone would go all the way with either someone who wasn't their mate, or with their mate before being marked or having a bonding ceremony. Some of the less traditional packs didn't stress the importance of a bonding ceremony that much as it was just a party, really. However, mates are supposed to mark each other before they have penetrative sex for the first time or during their first time. Other sexual acts weren't worried about as it was an old fashioned rule from when all couples were expected to be straight (A long time ago - the werewolf community became LGBTQA friendly a lot earlier than humans) because of the fear of a woman getting pregnant without a mark, but the stigma had stayed and having full sex without a mark was still considered shameful. There are some particularly possessive wolves who feel the need to mark their mates before they've even had their bonding ceremony to make sure that everyone knows that their mate is taken.

Sam also told her that two dominant males from the pack were fighting about something... But he wasn't sure what yet. This wouldn't seem so unusual except that instead of physically fighting and sorting out their differences over the course of a couple of hours, they had been holed up in one of their rooms together trying to talk, although not making much progress, which was a much more submissive way of going about it. Their names were Ash and Malachai and they had graduated from the academy last year (Wolves stay at the academy for four years as they're considered adults when they turn 20, unlike humans who believe you reach adulthood at 18). Cassie didn't know them well herself but she knew they were friends with Markus and his dad was always asking them to keep an eye on him. Even best friends fight sometimes, I guess... She thought.

They were halfway home when they noticed a car inching along a couple of metres behind them, they didn't know when it had started following them or what the occupants wanted and they knew it didn't belong to anyone from their pack house (Or Karliah, thought Cassie).

"Am I the only one hearing the jaws theme in my head right now?" Cassie whispered,

"I've got the Star Wars theme... But much slower and creepier" Sam replied.

"Okay, I think that means we're kind-of on the same page"

"Practically psychic" Sam agreed. Cassie grinned at him for a moment but it quickly fell when the window of their stalker's car rolled down and a familiar face lolled out. 

"Hey baby!" Brandon called out. The car was stationary now as he hung out the passenger side window languidly.

"Oh, Jesus" Cassie muttered under her breath.

"Is that his name?" Joked Sam, but quickly shut up at the stony expression on his best friend's face.

"Did you need a lift?" Brandon tried again to get a reaction from her.

"We're halfway there already, thanks" Cassie answered without turning to look at him and continued to walk, Sam dawdling due to curiosity. 

"Halfway where?" 

"Home" 

"Why don't we go somewhere more fun?" He offered. 

"No, thank you" Cassie tried to keep her voice calm. She could see Sam trying to communicate with her through facial expressions but just shook her head to say she'd tell him later.

"Okay, how about we go somewhere more fun, or I tell your alpha how your omega friend disrespected me"

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure he told me to fuck off? But I can't be sure..." He knew he had her now and smiled creepily, "Did he hit me? Who knows..." Sam's eyes had turned round and doe-like in fear but he still shook his head at her not to do what this creep asked. He would rather be punished.

"Don't" Cassie breathed, turning to face Brandon's smug mug. "Please". Sam looked like he wanted to say the same to her but kept his mouth shut, she had made her decision and he only had one last attack he could use - His adorable face.

"Get in" Brandon leant back and opened the door to let her in the passenger seat beside him. Sam grabbed Cassie's arm and gave her a pleading look but she shook her head and told him to get home safe. Sam was giving her his killer pout, his most powerful weapon, but she couldn't let him get in trouble for her gross stalker. No one ever believes an omega.

Cassie climbed into the sleek black car, carefully lowering her bare legs onto the hot leather seats. It was one of the final warm days of the year and Brandon's car had probably been sitting in the school car park all day with the sunlight shining through the windows. She loved skirts and dresses because of her hourglass figure and today was no different, she wore a white blouse that had half length sleeves and an adorable line of ruffles down the centre, a burgundy peplum skirt, matching frilled burgundy socks and small black ankle booties. Trousers were her least favourite thing in the whole world but with this weirdo about maybe she would have to start wearing all her adorable dresses over a pair of jeans - Like some early 2000s pre-teen. Cringe. Once she had pulled the car door shut (A little more forcefully than was quite necessary) he pulled forward in what looked like the direction of town.

Twenty minutes of half-hearted small talk later, they turned into the forest they had been driving alongside for a few minutes. It wasn't a territory that Cassie recognised... We must be quite a way from the academy now... She thought. The car was driving along a very thin and bumpy dirt path and up to a small wooden cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking questions from all sites MMB is posted on for a Q&A chapter! If you have a question for the Q&A, please comment it with 'Q&A' before or after the question and I'll add it to the pile ^^ I'm going to combine questions from all sites!
> 
> If the website this chapter is posted on has a private messaging function you are welcome to PM me your question too.


	15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cassie pulled at her restraints; her hands and feet were bound with coarse rope, ankles to the legs of the chair and her wrists tied together behind her. Her heart was hammering with fear, not just of Brandon but of his volatility. She couldn't keep up with these mood swings. He had dragged her into the small, sparsely decorated cabin by the scruff of her neck, digging his fingers in just under her jaw, shoved her into the chair and tied her body with tight complex knots. But now he was suddenly gentle... Running his hands over her bare thighs with whisper touches, grazing his lips over her forelegs and laying soft kisses on her knees and ankles at random.

"You have beautiful legs..." he murmured, grazing his teeth other her knee now, "You must know though..." He continued, "Because you are always teasing me with these tiny skirts of yours... Always with the tight waist and flowing out from these big hips" His hands shot up and gripped her hips tightly, so tightly she gasped at the pain.

"Stop it!" She cried. He grinned at her,

"Your voice is so much sweeter when you're scared" He looked so proud of himself. It terrified her. His hands returned to her thighs, rubbing them with more force now and scraping his nails over her skin, leaving faint red lines that faded quickly. She tried to twist and pull away but she couldn't move more than a few degrees each way. His focus moved purely to her thighs, his lips ran over her caramel skin like he was searching for something. Cassie couldn't understand what he wanted, what had triggered him to even notice her or what she could have done to offend him, but she tried to keep her mind occupied as he wandered, trying to ignore him as best she could for as long as possible.

He appeared to have found what he was looking for and nipped at a spot dangerously close to her pantie line. Next he sucked the flesh into his mouth, his eyes staring straight up at her, watching her expressions... Enjoying the scared look in her eyes. Cassie tried to pull her legs together but to no avail. He continued to work at his chosen spot, pulling and sucking at it until it became a dark plumb printed on her skin. 

She whimpered at the pain, her mind telling her to hold the sounds in, but her body unable to with the sharp shots of pain running up from the bruise. He worked his mouth over and over the same place for what felt like hours to Cassie and a few moments to Brandon, he could sit there forever with her flesh in his mouth.

Finally, he moved on and began the hunt again, looking for the perfect place... This time he chose the inside of her right knee, right on the crease, and started from the beginning, sucking and pulling on the skin methodically. The pain was much worse on a fresh area, on her other leg she had become used to the feeling as he worked the same area for a long time but now she started to squirm again,

"Stop moving" He growled, threateningly. She gave a soft whine of indignation and he stared up at her face once more before latching back onto her. Within seconds she was shifting in her seat again, trying to keep her mind somewhere else. Brandon's wolf growled, it rumbled through his throat and vibrated on her leg. She twisted her body once more in defiance and he bit her, the sting was especially sharp on the sensitive piece of skin. 

"Ow!" She yelped. He chuckled and again she felt the vibration of it against her leg. "It's not funny! It really hurts!" But she instantly regretted it when she saw how much he was enjoying hearing her whining voice. His expression was of bliss with his eyes closed and lips curled up slightly where he continued to aggravate her skin with his mouth; he was also hard. She could see it when she craned her neck and feel the tip of it against her lower leg. "You're disgusting" She tried to keep her voice low and almost man-like but he simply replied by biting her again, harder this time. She gasped embarrassingly loudly. He moaned quietly at the sound.

Her new plan was to scrunch up her face to keep from making sounds or crying. She wouldn't give him anymore wank bank material. He probably watched creepy videos of girls being tortured when he jacked off. 

Brandon seemed to have decided this mark was done now and quickly moved on to make his next one, and his next one after that. Following the same pattern of sucking and licking and pulling with his lips, biting when she moved too much and groaning with pleasure when she let out any kind of whimper or gasp. Once he had created six marks across the front and sides of her thighs, he began to untie her left foot. 

Oh thank god, his silly little game is done with... Cassie thought. 

But upon releasing her left foot, he grabbed the newly free ankle and pushed it up as far as his arm would reach and slid his hand down her leg, pushing it further and further back until her knee could almost touch her tummy.

"Ah-ah! I'm not that flexible!" Cassie exclaimed, she could feel the pull on her hamstring getting painfully tight. Brandon simply smiled and pulled his body up straight (while still on his knees) and ran his tongue from the back of her knee down her thigh and to where the line of her butt cheeks was (although with her foot by her ear the line wasn't as prominent) where he started to nip much more harshly now, biting roughly and sucking much harder than before. Cassie whimpered and tried to kick him with her free foot but his hold on her foreleg was too strong and he bit her again for even trying. 

"Ooow! Stop it!" She cried, "Stop!" His right hand squeezed her leg and his left lowered to his crotch, palming himself over his jeans. He was much rougher with her now, forcing sounds out of her that he could touch himself to. Cassie let her wolf take over for a bit, she didn't fully shift and change her body but just handed over the controls. She knew her wolf would give him what he wanted and she could pretend she wasn't there. Her wolf didn't understand why she wanted to hold her voice in when it helps with pain to let it out. 

He made this bruise the biggest yet, egged on by the whimpers and whining noises Cassie's wolf was making. He could tell Cassie had receded and wasn't in control anymore but he didn't care - it wasn't about her... It was about her body... And her voice... And her scent... And all those mannerisms that made subs so fascinating to him. His hips were jerking of their own accord now as he got closer and closer to coming. But not yet... He wanted to finish the mark. 

When it was finally big enough (Around the size of a cookie) he was ready to blow, struggling to hold it back. He stood up between her legs and untied one of her hands, grabbing the wrist before she could use it to claw his eyes out and pulling it to his crotch. Brandon grabbed Cassie's chin and pinched at her jaw to force open her mouth and shoved his tongue inside. Cassie's wolf was startled, unsure of what kind of attack this was but still struggling anyway. He tilted his head and kissed her deeply, his mouth covering hers and his tongue exploring and curling itself around her own. He still had a firm grip on her jaw and her hand that he now slipped into his jeans, rubbing himself through his underwear with it. 

Cassie burst back through, pushing down her wolf inside of her along with the vomit threatening to spew out. She tried to kick him with her one free leg but he spread his slightly and locked hers open either side of him, she tried to bite him but his fingers digging into her jaw and cheeks held her teeth apart and finally she tried to claw at him with her free hand but without long nails or the ability to move her hand how she wanted to, it was futile.

His dick was hot against her hand and she could feel precum soaking his y-fronts and making her fingers sticky. Her face burned with shame and she finally let a few tears slide down her cheeks. He shaped her hand into a cup and ground the head of his cock into it. Cassie sniffed and let out a muffled sob through the slimy kiss. 

Apparently, this pushed Brandon over the edge as he fell forward, hunching over her and used his left hand (The one that had been gripping her cheeks) to hold himself up on the chair as he rode out his climax. Cassie froze, her mind unable to process what was happening anymore and her body unable to move. Brandon grunted and groaned through his three-second long orgasm. 

When he was finished he dragged himself upright, still panting and shaking a little, pulled her hand out of his jeans and grinned at the sight of white gooey smudges that had leaked through his underwear and into her palm. She tried to remain expressionless, save for the occasional sniff from the tears that had escaped. Brandon grinned at her, as though he had no idea why she wasn't ecstatic... Maybe he doesn't... She thought. Crazy people don't know they're crazy.

"You did so well, baby" He cooed, "I-"

Cassie jumped a foot in the air, a phone had begun ringing in Brandon's bag that was sitting in the corner of the room. He gave a frustrated growl and waited for the caller to give up. When the ringtone finally stopped singing he continued,

"Wasn't thi-" He tried again but his phone was insistent, the ring tone loud and blaring. He stomped to the other end of the room, a scowl covering his face now, and answered,

"What?!" Cassie couldn't hear who it was or what they were saying, only Brandon's replies which consisted of mostly 'Mmhmm's and 'Yeah's. He ended the call with, "Fine, I'll be right there" and threw his phone back into his bag sulkily. "Well, looks like we can't play anymore right now," He slung his bag over his shoulder, "It's just pack business, I'll come back and get you when I'm done"

"W-wait!" Cassie shouted, "You can't seriously be leaving me here?" 

"Well, I can't take you with me, can I?" He spoke like he would to a child, like she was an idiot. He walked out of the cabin and shut the door behind him, Cassie listened to the sounds of his shoes crunching through the leaves on the forest floor and the revving of his car ignition starting. When she was sure he had driven away she began to untie her right arm and left leg with her free hand, although her fingers were still slippery and the knots tight to her skin so it took a lot of patience and time. She threw the rope in a pile when she was finished and grabbed a throw that was resting on an armchair in the furthest corner of the room from the door, beside a fireplace that looked like it had never been used, and used it to wipe her hand clean as best she could. It's okay... She told herself, when I get home I'll take a bath in antibacterial gel. 

From her bag she pulled out her phone and scrolled through the contact list. As much as Sam was her most trusted person, he didn't have a drivers license or car, so her only options that weren't her parents (Who she had already ruled out due to the excessive interrogation they would put her through) were Karliah and Markus. Karliah will get mad over the bruises and won't be able to mind her own business... But Markus might make fun of me and tell his friends. 

She sent a text to Sam, letting him know she was okay but needed someone to come find her, they had each other added on a safety app that told the other where they were, and called Markus with the number he had given her when they went to town together. It rang a couple of times before he picked up,

"What're you calling me for?"

"I need help"

"What kind of help?"

"I don't know where I am but I'm in a cabin in the woods and I might be locked in but Sam has an app that can find out where I am so please come find me!" She took a much needed deep breath at the end of her long babble.

"Uh... Okay." He paused for a moment, "But, why are you in a cabin in the woods? And if you went there why wouldn't you know how to get back?"

"A creepy guy made me go with him, but that's all I'm telling you - Please just come help me before he gets back!"

"Okay." Another pause, "But why-"

"For fucks sake, Markus! I'm serious I don't know when he'll come back and tie me up again so please just get on with it!" She was stunned at her own animosity and her ability to shout at an alpha, even if he did bother to come get her now, she'd probably just gotten herself into a boatload of trouble. 

"Okay, I'm on my way" He sighed and hung up. She let out a sigh too, but for her it was in relief.

Cassie used the time while she waited for Markus and Sam to pull out her makeup wipes from her bag and give her hands an extra wipe, check the door for locks or bolts (there were thankfully none) and also to search for anything she could use as a weapon, for which there was also nothing. The room was pretty empty aside from the wooden chair she had been sat on, the arm chair with the now cum-stained throw, the unused fireplace, the pile of rope, a tiny round rug and a row coat pegs with nothing hanging from them. She wondered if she was within his pack territory and hoped Markus at least tried to be inconspicuous in his entrance. 

Fifteen minutes of nervous pacing later, a car pulled up outside. Cassie peeked through the door to see who it was, getting ready to use the chair as a barricade if necessary. Thankfully, it was Markus' humongous 4X4 barrelling through the undergrowth. She stepped out of the cabin and waved the car over. Not waiting for Markus to get out, she leapt in the backseat where she found Sam with red ringed eyes and even messier hair than usual.

"Let's go!" She exclaimed, fumbling as she tried to secure her seatbelt with trembling hands. 

"But aren't you going to exp-" Markus began but Sam burst into loud sobs at the same time as Cassie shouting rambled phrases that were unintelligent to the naked ear and Markus decided all he could do was try to get home as fast as possible and in the meantime just let the chaos ensue around him.

Cassie stopped trying to explain jumbled parts of what happened (She didn't want to tell him everything so she was trying to give him the important parts) and wrapped her arms around Sam, shushing him and slowly lowering his head into her lap. She wanted to cry too... But she just couldn't... She knew it would make her feel better, getting your emotions out in a good cry always helps. But she suddenly felt too numb, like a robot just doing what it was told. She stroked her hands through Sam's hair over and over while he managed to get himself back down to just a sniffle and the occasional hiccup. 

None of them spoke for the rest of the drive home. The only sounds being the engine, Sam's nose and Cassie's phone vibrating every five or ten minutes. No one made eye contact either, all three swallowed up by their thoughts. Cassie knew Markus and Sam must be trying to work out what happened, and were probably imagining worse things than what did occur, but she wasn't going to divulge anything to Markus so she tried to put him to the back of her mind and work on how she was going to explain everything to Sam, starting from Brandon grabbing her at her locker.

When they arrived at the pack house, there was an awkwardness that hung in the air as they all tumbled out of the car. Markus looked like he wanted to say something, to take control of the situation, but he didn't know what to say or do for this strange scenario. Cassie decided to help him out a bit,

"Thank you so much for your help, I'm sorry I shouted on the phone - I was very scared" . 

Make him feel important and brave to avoid an explanation - Check.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I thought you were playing a prank at first so it wasn't your fault" Markus stood up straighter and gave her a sympathetic smile, "We should probably go in and speak to-" 

"A-actually, I'm just really worn out from it all and I think Sam is too" 

Use Sam's adorable, sleepy, red face to escape - Check.

"Okay, but you should probably talk to my dad at some point" Markus tried again, "He should be made aware-"

And finally, guilt trip so he never brings up the subject again.

"Of course, when I'm feeling up to it I'll go and speak to him alone - Thanks for not forcing me to tell you and letting me keep my privacy" 

"Oh, sure, I completely understand." He nodded stiffly, like a soldier, and Cassie smiled sweetly before dragging Sam away quickly while she had an opening. 

When they got to her room she closed the door, locked it, and broke down. 

They spent the night squashed onto her single bed with blankets wrapped around them like cloaks as she unloaded everything that had been going on for the past couple of weeks with Brandon and Karliah. Sam listened quietly, his face showed how he felt very clearly but he didn't interrupt her and let her get it all out of her system.

When she felt she had told him everything and how she felt about it. They slumped into the covers together. Cassie felt relieved to have told Sam, to have told someone, anyone, about how disgusted and scared she felt. Sam let her have a few moments to breathe and relax before he spoke, 

"Do you think maybe..." He looked awkward, "they're your mate?"

"Who?" Cassie's eyebrows pulled together.

"Brandon." He whispered the name like he was Voldemort.

"What are you talking about?" Cassie asked incredulously, "A mate wouldn't treat you like that!"

"He just seems so obsessed with you... And some mates do treat their partners badly..." He shrugged. Cassie gave him suspicious look, "It's... A friend of mine" he added.

"And what does their mate do?" Cassie was curious now, mates were supposed to treat each other like the sun shone out of their arse holes. She knew only one person with mate troubles and that was Hanmi but he wasn't mistreating her... He just wasn't interested.

"Well... First, promise you won't tell anyone" he put his pinky finger out and she interlocked hers.

"Of course"

"Well... My friend's mate... Is embarrassed to be seen with them... And only ever wants to see them to do sex stuff but doesn't want to go all the way because he doesn't want to mark them..." Sam looked away, his face crumpling.

"That's awful" Cassie whispered. She pulled Sam into her arms and squeezed him tight, "It'll get better though... I'm sure it will". They laid side by side with their arms wrapped around each other in a tangled hug.

Suddenly, Cassie's phone started vibrating again. With a sigh, she unlocked herself from Sam's embrace and pulled it out of her bag. She pressed the home button and froze at the list of texts and calls.

Unknown number - Baby where did you go? 

Unknown number - 2 missed calls.

Unknown number - Why did you leave? We were going to have so much more fun! :-)

Unknown number - When you come back I wanna take another bite out of that cute round butt!!

Unknown number - 1 missed call.

Unknown number - You had better come back soon...

Unknown number - You're making me angry baby. Why haven't you come back?

Unknown number - You are in so much trouble I'm going to get you.

Unknown number - Stupid bitch.

Unknown number - You're just a fat sub. You're nothing without a Dom to own you. Like a dog without a master - A useless stray.

Unknown number - 1 missed call.

Hanmi - Hey! Me and Aminali spoke to our parents and they said we could go into town tomorrow and they said if you guys wanted to come that we could pick you up on our way? Let us know! x x x 

Sam tilted his head, 

"What is it?" He asked. Cassie handed him the phone without saying anything. She watched his eyes get wider and wider as he read the messages from oldest to most recent.

"He's crazy..." He muttered. "The messages start off creepy and flirty but then he just turns and starts lashing out... What is this?" 

"He's just like that in person too" Cassie explained, "One minute he acts like he has a crush on me and then the next he's trying to hurt me!" They let out a joint sigh. Neither of them had any idea what to do. Sam felt so useless, he wanted so badly to protect his friend.

Cassie took her phone back and blocked Brandon's number. She didn't know how he had gotten hers and part of her didn't want to. Next she sent a text to Markus asking about going into town the next day (Perfect timing really she thought, hoping he still felt sorry for her and would cut them a break), then she replied to Hanmi letting her know that she had asked and would let her know when she got an answer and lastly, took her phone off silent so she would hear it when Markus replied. When she was done, she and Sam changed into PJs and rolled themselves up in her blankets again but this time to try and get some sleep.

Half an hour of trying later, Cassie's phone pinged with a text. 

Markus - Yes.

~

"So, what do you guys wanna do today?" Asked Hanmi as they wandered down the high street. 

"There's a cute new ice cream place that I really wanna try" Jasper offered, "It's down by that old-timey shoe shop" He added. Jasper was the fifth and final member of their friend group, although only Sam had any classes with him. The girls wished they could see him more often than just at breaks, he was such a sweetheart. 

"That sounds great to me!" Aminali agreed. The others all nodded and they made their way to the 50s style ice cream parlour. Everything was bright and colourful and all the staff wore adorable costumes, Cassie loved it.

Aminali got mint choc-chip, Hanmi got vanilla with sprinkles, Jasper got chocolate and Cassie and Sam shared a rocky road deluxe sundae. (Cassie's mum had given her money for Sam as well). They all squeezed into a booth and began devouring their sugary treats, it was the first time it had been so quiet with all of them together. Once they were finished, they chatted, played with the jukebox, took photos of the fun decor and rested for a bit to let their stomachs settle. 

They decided that they wanted to get manicures next, (They had voted on manicures over facials) so they filed out, giving their thanks to the waitresses on the way, and started their search for somewhere to get their nails done.

They didn't have to walk far as Aminali spotted a nail salon at the end of the street,

"Oh! That's where my big sister goes to get her nails done, let's go there!"

"Sounds good" Cassie agreed. Hanmi, Sam and Jasper all nodded, although as they walked down towards the brightly lit salon, Cassie could just about hear the two boys whispering to each other about whether a manicure had to include nail polish which neither of them were in favour of; not because they didn't want cute coloured nails, but because they knew they would be made fun of at school. She slowed her walk till the two girls were ahead slightly and whispered back to them, "Don't worry, a regular manicure won't put any colour on, they'll just be shiny". Both boys visibly relaxed. 

Once they had all been herded through the glass door they asked the receptionist if there was room for all five of them to get manicures at the same time. The room was big but there were only three manicure tables and four pedicure chairs. The room had a short corridor stemming from the back wall with three rooms leading from it. The one in the middle had a big 'PRIVATE' sign on the door which Cassie assumed was a back office and staff room. The receptionist explained that while they had a function/party room in one of the rooms leading from the corridor, they didn't have enough staff available to do them all at once anyway. They decided that Sam and Aminali would get pedicures and Jasper, Cassie and Hanmi would get the manicures (Cassie was already wearing a much longer dress than usual to cover her bruises, she couldn't be lifting her legs up and letting the thin material slide up). That way, Team Pedicure could be soaking their feet while Team Manicure were having their cuticles attended to and then while Team Manicure let their fingers soak Team Pedicure could have their feet buffed and so on. 

They were able to sit close together, taking all the corner pedi chairs and mani tables, and chat. Hanmi was gushing about how her dad had bought her a full set of rements (Gudetama meal ones!) so even though they were blind boxes, she didn't have to worry about getting doubles or missing out on one. All she had to get herself worked up about now was where she was going to display them in her room! 

"You guys don't even understand" laughed Aminali, "Her room looks like a plushie exploded into a million more plushies! One day they will have to dig her out from under an avalanche of Sailor Moon figurines and hello kitty sticker books" 

Hanmi shrugged with a blush,

"Its not my fault! It's like a magnetic force just draws me to cute things!" 

"But why do you need that many phone charms?!" Aminali exclaimed. The others couldn't help giggling now, they all had witnessed how Hanmi was constantly trying to find new places to hang these cute charms from: her DS, her phone, her notebooks, her bags and her pencil case. 

"Sometimes they're just particularly cute so I have to buy them and sometimes I get them in lucky bags at conventions and sometimes I get them in gachapon machines when we visit my grandparents!" Hanmi was trying to sound defensive but she couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness too.

Jasper was worrying, as usual, about being alone forever. He'd only just turned 16 and he was all ready give up hope. He had always been a hopeless romantic (His favourite films were Titanic and My best friends wedding - kinda predictable) and had been waiting for that magical moment when he would turn 16 and immediately find the cheese to his macaroni since he knew what love was! The others gave him encouragement but didn't worry too much about him - He would find his mate eventually. Although they made sure to say 'soul mate' in front of the humans doing their nails who thought it was cute that they believed in such things.

Aminali talked about things at home and how her family was doing, her older sister was having her bonding ceremony soon and she was going with her to pick out a dress. She wanted something with lots of orange and red tones as it would suit her dark skin but Aminali was trying to convince her to go with a dark forest green that matched her eyes (And coincidentally, matched Aminali's eyes too). Although again, they said 'wedding' instead of bonding ceremony because of the human company. The women filing their nails asked whether Aminali's sister had turned into a bridezilla yet and they all just laughed. 

Cassie didn't talk as much as she usually would and it had been noted throughout the day. She still felt a bit numb... Talking had helped but she still didn't sleep well because it seemed all her mind could focus on was what happened; she just couldn't push it away to the back of her mind. She would think about his words, his texts, his tongue in her mouth and his dick rubbing against her hand. Whenever she let the thoughts bubble in her head for too long she felt nauseous. Sam had been giving her questioning looks to check that she was okay and she just nodded every time. She wanted distraction, she enjoyed just listening to her friends tell their stories and natter about nothingness. 

When they were done the nail technicians helped them take a photo of their hands and feet together for Hanmi's Instagram. Sam had gotten a clear coat on his toes and Aminali had gone bright pink with a white flower on each big toe. Jasper got clear polish on his neatly rounded fingernails while Cassie had acrylics that were filed into sharp tips and painted black and Hanmi herself had pastel blue gels with a wavy pattern detail painted on each thumb in white.

They thanked the staff, paid, and left, all being very careful not to chip or break any nails - at least not for the first five minutes. The group mooched around various clothing and accessory shops for a bit longer, just relaxing and enjoying being together. As Cassie was following them into another shoe shop (Hanmi wanted a specific type of bootie that she had seen online but couldn't order as the shipping cost as much as the shoes) she caught a glimpse of a face she thought she knew. She darted into the shop and grabbed Sam's arm.

"It's him, he's here" She whispered frantically in his ear. The others were already distracted by the cute shoes and didn't notice the tense air around Cassie and Sam.

"Who?" Sam swung round, "Brandon?" She nodded and stared at the front doors of the shop, with her heart in her throat, waiting for him to walk in. Her phone beeped in her pocket and she pulled it out slowly, like she was removing a bomb. When she checked the screen, she had one text. 

Unknown number - Peek a boo! I see you! 

Sam and Cassie excused themselves from the group, lying that Cassie's mum wanted them home (Meanwhile texting Cassie's mum to come get them). They hugged and said their goodbyes before checking the entrance, leaning their heads out like ostriches in search of Brandon and darting for Cassie's mum's car parked at the other end of the street. 

They drove home in silence, waiting for the privacy of Cassie's bedroom so they could both explode in a fit of anger, fear and confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking questions from all sites MMB is posted on for a Q&A chapter! If you have a question for the Q&A, please comment it with 'Q&A' before or after the question and I'll add it to the pile ^^ I'm going to combine questions from all sites!
> 
> If the website this chapter is posted on has a private messaging function you are welcome to PM me your question too.


	16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Cassie hadn't left the packhouse all weekend. Her phone had been receiving texts from a multitude of Unknown numbers since Saturday and she had blocked all of them; but with cheap phones and SIM cards available to everyone, it seemed that Brandon wasn't going to have much trouble reaching her. She needed a new number, but for that she would have to talk to her mum and she couldn't bear to tell her what was going on. She had spent most of her time with Sam, helping him do his chores and watching old sitcom DVDs, trying to ignore the acidic taste in her mouth and burning in the pit of her stomach. Markus hadn't mentioned anything to her or anyone else and Cassie was actually starting to think he might be awkwardly avoiding her.

On Monday, she faked sick and stayed home with her mum, covering her bruised thighs with long PJ bottoms. They read trashy magazines, sipped lucozade and watched reality TV - her mum's full-proof distraction from being ill. She kept telling herself that it was only for a day. 

On Tuesday, she pulled the same routine. Just one more day, she thought. She still hadn't turned her phone on since taking the battery out on Sunday night. Sam had brought her homework home with him, he didn't say anything about her fake illness and she appreciated it immensely.

On Wednesday, her mum had become suspicious. She tried to encourage her a bit more that day to go in, citing her friends as examples of reasons to go back, and Cassie knew that she was right, she missed Sam. 

~

And Sam missed her. He slipped from lesson to lesson silently, drawing as little attention to himself as possible. He barely spoke a word, even to their friends. He knew that Cassie was faking it and why, but he didn't blame her. He would do the same if it were the other way round. 

As Wednesday dragged by, he was beginning to worry that she didn't plan to ever come back. He made his way to third period, wandering along absorbed in his own thoughts, to another lonely maths lesson when a hand gripped his arm and pulled him out of the crowd and into an empty classroom. He swung round, ready to tell Markus that he really needed to get to maths - and stress the point that he needed to go on behalf of Cassie as well as himself - When he realised that it wasn't Markus holding onto his arm.

"Where's Cassie?" Asked Karliah. She towered over him in a plain grey top and black cargo trousers, her hair was dirty and tied in a single French plait.

"Um..." Sam shrugged, not meeting her eyes, they were fearsome without needing to scowl... 

"I know you're friends with her" Karliah added, trying to speak softly and push her voice to a higher pitch, although she already had trouble maintaining the feminine voice that she faked day to day. "And I know that you must know where she is."

"She's off today." Sam offered, feebly. Tilting his head away.

"I know, but why?" Karliah stressed, "I don't mean her any harm, I just want to know that she's okay." She knelt down to his level and grabbed his chin between her fingers, forcing him to face her.

"She's sick." Sam felt more sick than Cassie probably did just then, he was lying to an Alpha, even if they weren't his it still made him queasy. Karliah continued to try and make eye contact with him but he kept darting his eyes back and forth to avoid her.

"Why are you lying to me?" She murmured, her steel eyes were sharp with lashes that all grew facing outwards, making her outer corners look even more pointed. Sam sniffed and his eyes began to water.

"I-I can't..." He tried again "I-I-I-" his bottom lip trembled and a few stray tears got out. His wolf was squirming inside of him uncomfortably.

"Hey, it's okay" Karliah wiped his cheeks clean with her thumbs, his translucent skin made her nervous and she kept her touch feather-light so as not to bruise or break his thin skin. "Just relax, you're not in trouble" She picked him up by the arm pits and sat him on a desk. "Is Cassie okay, though?" Sam nodded, drawing his hands up to cover his face, although his shoulders shivering gave away that he was still trying to hold back tears.

"She's faking sick" He mumbled.

"Why?"

"That's... Not my secret to tell" Sam winced beneath his hands, if he said that to Markus he'd probably beat him.

"Okay... I can respect that" Karliah gave him a small smile. "Do you know when she will be back?"

"I don't know" His bottom lip poked out, "but I hope it's soon" He wiped his eyes on the sleeves of his sweatshirt.

"Me too" She sighed, picking off a stray eyelash from his cheek and blowing it away, "Are you okay though? Want me to walk you to your next class?" She put her hand out to help him off the table and picked up their bags.

"I'm okay" He hopped down, "Thanks for the offer though" He took his bag back and tried to smile but his lips were still trembling.

"Here's my number, make sure you text me if anything happens with Cassie, okay?" She wrote out the digits on a piece of scrap paper and tore it off to hand to Sam. He nodded, slipping it into his back pocket.

"I will..." He wondered if he really would... Something felt off but he couldn't place what it was... He wouldn't get in trouble for texting the alpha of another pack would he? 

"Come on then, we're gonna be late" she opened the door, ushered him through and began to jog leisurely to her classroom. Sam watched her back for a few moments before scurrying away to his own lesson.

~ 

P.E was always a painful class for Markus, not because he was bad at it, quite the contrary, in fact he was incredibly fit and did well at all the sports they played, often carrying his team to victory. No, it wasn't his physical abilities, it was the tiny shorts fault. 

For P.E they would separate the Doms and the subs into opposite sides of the field or hall they were in for two reasons: A) It wouldn't be fair to make them compete against each other with the difference in size and strength and 2) Doms get very jealous with their mates being around other Doms, and if another Dom were to say, pick a sub up if they fell or touch their hand when they handed them a ball or bat, it could all kick off. Markus could still see though, very clearly with his enhanced vision, the tiny black shorts his mate wore. When he stretched, when he ran, when he batted a ball or when he jumped. All the submissives seemed to wear their shorts much shorter than the dominants. The alpha of Lunar Warriors even wears full tracksuit bottoms to class, he thought. But the shorts his omega wore, they absolutely mesmerised him.

There had been times where balls had flown past him and he hadn't noticed or he had been tagged by someone and ignored it, and even his running had been affected at times due to excessive staring. He was lucky no one had noticed, or at least hadn't mentioned anything if they had. He couldn't help it! It was at its worst when the omega bent over or spread his legs, then Markus would often come to a stone halt and drool.

Today, the submissives were doing yoga and the dominants had gymnastics (The sports changed every two weeks, by the end of the year they had all done a few lessons of everything). As an Alpha, Markus naturally had a lot of willpower, but also as an alpha, his need to take his mate was much stronger than the average wolf's, his internal battle was fierce as he tried to concentrate on holding the legs of his upside-down partner for the lesson. Luckily, said partner was his friend Damien, a chill guy that didn't talk much - which Markus really appreciated sometimes, but especially when his mate was doing downward dog with his perky arse pointing right at him. He kept his cool, continuing to hold Damien's handstand steady until the coach counted down to 0 and it was his turn. 

He threw himself forward onto his hands and let Damien grab his legs to hold him still, his t-shirt was bunched around his neck and right then he didn't know if he wanted it to fall and cover his face so he wouldn't see the subs anymore or if he wanted it held round his chin so he could watch the sensual stretching. Although his partner was a bit smaller than him (in height and stature) he was able to give him good support as he struggled to keep himself steady when the submissives slowly pushed themselves from child's pose to the cat pose, their backs arching high and then dipping low. Markus had to use every scrap of willpower inside of him not to let all of his blood rush to his dick as he imagined himself fucking Sam in that position, running his hands along that pale curved back...

~

Plans were trying to form inside Karliah's head, despite it being also filled with a lot of blood due to the headstand she was desperately trying to keep straight with the help of some random dominant girl she had been paired with. 

She was also trying not to let her fear of her shirt becoming untucked from her tracksuit bottoms distract her either. Not because wolves were shy of their bodies - It was the complete opposite for most wolves in fact, but because she was always worried that if people saw her breasts, they'd be able to tell instantly that they were implants. They weren't very big, she only wore a B cup bra, but humans always seemed obsessed with knowing if something was 'Fake'. There were whole magazine articles and TV shows dedicated to sniffing out celebrity plastic surgeries without even seeing their bodies, and she knew lots of wolves enjoyed human media. She had never had anyone question her with her clothes on (and she had special permission to change in her own room when she had P.E) but there was no way she wanted people to see them out in the open, the scars were usually hidden by the sports bras she always wore, but her super self-conscious brain just couldn't stop nagging and worrying her. It wasn't as if none of her pack had some kind of clue anyway, the elders and her parents obviously all knew everything, but since she had started her transition so young, the older and middle aged people knew only of the very brief period of time when she was the 'Bouncing Baby Boy' of the Lunar Warrior clan but knew never to mention it, and the young generation either weren't around or were only toddlers themselves at the time so didn't notice a difference. Karliah knew she shouldn't let these thoughts eat away at her, why did she care if others knew anyway? She took a deep breath and tried to refocus her thoughts to more important things.

Like how she wasn't getting anywhere with Cassie the way she was going. She kept trying to get the girl's wolf to come out with touch and generally trying to get as close to her physically as possible, but while Cassie herself seemed to respond well (And even came in her car which she was particularly proud of) it wasn't working on her wolf. There was no sudden click of realisation.

She needed to learn more about her. But she didn't know how to start a conversation (Or what she really wanted to do: ask her millions of questions) without seeming awkward and suspicious. Being told that someone is your mate ruins it, and it's generally frowned upon in the community, plus Karliah just wanted Cassie to feel it for herself. When she caught the first scent of her mate as she was walking into that fateful DSHE class, it filled her with a child-like excitement, she couldn't believe that she'd found them so soon! And then, when their eyes had met, she had struggled to even pretend to be angry at this adorable Victorian doll, even if said dolly was being ruder than anyone had ever been to Karliah. Figures, she thought, that my mate would be the first person in my life to call me a name or speak down to me. She tried not to grin too much at the thought (People might think she was going a bit nuts from all the blood flooding her skull). She had been so pleased that Cassie had literally handed her an excuse to touch her, to spank her, to rub her round arse and hold her in her lap - Karliah had assumed that she had felt the connection too. But, all that happiness and excitement quickly diminished when it became blindingly obvious that Cassie hadn't noticed it at all... Karliah had tried her best not to seem too crushed but now she was really feeling it... She needed a different tactic.

Her omega friend seemed sweet... Maybe he could help her infiltrate the friend group Cassie was part of. She wanted to learn everything about her mate and she wanted her mate to know everything about her. She didn't know why it was taking so long for it to click for Cassie... Maybe she's under a lot of stress... I've heard that can block the wolf from recognising their mate sometimes...

"And swap!" Called the coach, the headstand group all lowered themselves down and stood to help their partners with their turn. Karliah glanced at the handstand group and noticed the alpha of Scarlett Moon taking his turn to stand on his hands. Maybe he might be able to help me get close to her...

~

Sam had his head tucked down, staring through his own stick thin legs at the rippling muscles of his Alpha's chest and abdomen, blazing out in the open because of his top slipping down during a perfect handstand. Sam's thighs shook a little at the sight. His wolf was squirming inside of him, trying to force its way into control so it could run into its mates arms and grind all over that perfect body. Sam tried to look away but found it impossible, his dark skin had a thin, shiny layer of sweat across his stomach. 

"Are you okay, Sam?" Hanmi whispered beside him. 

"Uuuh" Sam blinked a few times and looked over at her with a blank expression on his face. "Sorry, what was the question?" 

"I said, are you okay?" 

"Yeah... Just a bit... Dazed, I guess" He murmured. 

"Thinking about Cassie?" She offered. Her bangs hung lopsided across her forehead as she watched him round her arm.

"Um..." Sam didn't want to lie but he also didn't want to tell the truth... 

"No whispering during class!" Barked their teacher, causing both subs to jump in unison. "Sam and Hanmi, I will see you afterwards" He added, sternly.

~

By Thursday, the bruises on Cassie's thighs had turned green - the one on the back of her right thigh was particularly dark still. But she covered it with black tights under her navy blue, sailor style dress with a rounded Peter Pan collar. She added a black cardigan as it was getting colder now that it had hit October and her favourite black heeled booties (Which had received a terrifyingly thorough cleaning since that day in the cabin with Brandon. All the clothes from that day had been washed rather severely, but it made her feel better and that was what was important). 

She had decided she was going back to school that day because she missed her friends (Not because her mother had told her she wasn't allowed to stay home another day when she was clearly fine) and her stomach was cramping at the thought. She paced around her room while she waited for it to be time to leave, and when it finally hit 8:20 she walked downstairs and met Sam at the front door. 

"How're you feeling?" He asked. She gave him a tight-lipped smile and they slipped through the double doors. They had been offered a lift by Cassie's mum but they wanted to walk and talk, to catch up on the few hours they'd been apart each day. Once they were out of earshot of any pack members, Cassie spoke,

"So, how was school?" She felt almost awkward asking him. 

"It was okay... I missed you though..." Sam shrugged. Cassie sighed,

"I missed you too"

"And Alpha Karliah missed you" He tacked on.

"What?" Cassie slowed, "Did she say something to you?" 

"She came and spoke to me yesterday, she was worried about you being off school" He tried to play it nonchalant but Cassie wanted to know everything.

"And what did you tell her?" She asked suspiciously.

"That you were sick" Cassie folded her arms over her chest because now she new he had to be lying.

"You lied to an alpha?" She scoffed.

"Yeah, but then I cried and told her you were faking it"

"Sam!" Cassie cried, putting her head in her hands. What if she tells a teacher? She thought.

"Sorry... She was really nice though..." Sam mumbled. "And she seemed genuinely worried about you..." He added, "I thought you liked her?"

"I... I don't know. I like the stuff that she does..." She blushed... She didn't know why she enjoyed being spanked by her... Or pinched by her... But everything she did just felt so good...

"You mean the dirty stuff?" Sam wiggled his eyebrows. Cassie blinked, mortified that she had been sniffed out so quickly. 

"Don't you judge me 'Mr I've done stuff but not THE stuff'" She teased.

"H-Hey! You asked about that in front of my alpha!" Sam blushed himself, just thinking about that awkward meal. 

"He doesn't belong to you" Cassie laughed. Wrapping her arm around his waist as they walked. Sam sighed,

"Well... Actually, I need to tell you something about that" He mumbled. 

"What do you mean? You're not moving packs are you?" She asked, grabbing his arm now and turning him to face her.

"You have to promise you won't tell!" He put out his pinky and she shook it solemnly. Sam looked left and right to check for nosey listeners before leaning in to Cassie's ear and whispering, "Markus is my mate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking questions from all sites MMB is posted on for a Q&A chapter! If you have a question for the Q&A, please comment it with 'Q&A' before or after the question and I'll add it to the pile ^^ I'm going to combine questions from all sites!
> 
> If the website this chapter is posted on has a private messaging function you are welcome to PM me your question too.


	17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Cassie stood stone still.

"I beg your pardon?" Her voice was barely a squeak, her round eyes managed to seem even larger with the look of shock plastered onto her face.

"I know," Sam winced, wringing his hands nervously, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I first found out - I was so scared!" 

"So-So that dirty stuff - You did with Markus?!" 

"That's what you're focusing on?" He groaned, "Cassie! I'm kind-of having a hard time here!" His hands ran through his scraggly hair.

"A hard time? You're going to be alpha female!" She couldn't believe Sam's luck, being the mate of an Alpha got you pretty much anything you wanted - Plus you had one of the strongest mates to protect you! "What's hard about that? You'll be the most powerful bitch in the pack - Literally!" Cassie's voice kept getting louder as she rambled and as the sound rose so did Sam's blood pressure.

"Ssssh!" He tried to cover her mouth with his fingers. "No one can know about this!" He cried.

"Why not?!" Her outcry was muffled slightly by the attempts of two bony hands to hold down her lips.

"Because..." Sam dropped his hands and folded them across his chest defensively, "He's basically..." He shrugged again, his usual defence mechanism, "He's just... Kind of..." Cassie's eyebrows pulled together,

"What's wrong, babe?" 

"He's pretty much rejected me..." Sam dropped his head in shame. Being rejected by your mate was rare, and was usually only for a damn good reason, like abuse or adultery. It's a very big deal and only around 80 years ago you weren't allowed to reject your own mate, they could take you to trial in front of a group of elders. Cassie blinked back tears, who did this stupid man think he was - rejecting someone as precious and perfect as her best friend? She sniffed, trying to hold it together in the face of big blue watery eyes - She knew if she caved and cried, there'd be no stopping Sam from bawling right there in the street. She held his hands and pressed their foreheads together. "I mean, he hasn't officially said the words... But I know that he's... Ashamed of me." Sam's voice cracked on the word ashamed and Cassie's heart cracked with it. 

"Well, excuse my blasphemy, but he's a fucking idiot." Her voice was surprisingly hard given how close she was to tears. "He will realise he can't live without you, and he'll regret this so much - I promise" She hugged him to her tightly.

"Thanks Cass" He mumbled against her cheek.

"But, I do have one thing I'm curious about..." She smiled cheekily.

"Just one?" He cocked an eyebrow and stepped back, folding his arms across his chest.

"How come you guys have managed to do some... Sexy things if you think he doesn't want you?" Cassie grinned but Sam sighed.

"That's all he's interested in." Sam whined, "He never even talks to me unless it's for sex - And even then it's all about him!" Sam pouted now, "But I can't say no because he's my alpha... And my wolf always goes nuts when he comes near or touches me so even if I was allowed to say no, I couldn't!"

"He's not forcing himself on you, is he?" Cassie grabbed his arms tightly with both hands, her eyes searching his.

"Not really, the moment he touches me my wolf submits and obeys him" He saw Cassie about to butt in with 'Just because your wolf submits, doesn't mean it's consent' and added, "I enjoy the stuff we do in the moment..." He shrugged, "It's just afterwards that I feel... Dirty... And embarrassed about what I've done."

"He's your mate," Cassie reasoned, "You shouldn't feel embarrassed about doing stuff with them!" She winked and Sam became sheepish, awkwardly adding,

"Okay, you've used up your one question - So now I'm not answering if you ask what stuff we've done!" His face was flushed but he still had a small smile stuck on, and it made Cassie happy to see that he was still able to keep that. She laughed, 

"You didn't say I could only have one question, I said I only had one question!" 

"Same thing!" He whined, "Anyway, we're going to be late for school if we don't hurry up!" He pulled on the straps of his backpack to hike it up on his back and took off running down the street in a blur of red-faced adorableness. 

~

Cassie was happy to be back, her lessons were going smoothly despite what she'd missed (Although she had done her homework, they don't give much of it at the academy so she had to take a lot of notes) and soon it was time for their first break where, although Cassie's return was the first topic of conversation, their gossiping had quickly turned to mates at Hanmi's appearance. She had walked into the classroom they hung out in and announced she had 'finally had it' with her mate. Sam looked uncomfortable, Jasper, Cassie and Aminali were depressed they hadn't found theirs and Hanmi was complaining (For the first time blatantly openly) about Damien not paying her any attention. The group listened with rapt attention as the pale girl whined about how he barely even glanced in her direction, let alone gave her the attention she craved from him. He didn't seem to even notice she existed and when their eyes met and she felt her wolf writhing around inside of her happily, he would turn back and look elsewhere as if he couldn't feel it.

"You need to do something more drastic... I guess..." Cassie offered.

"I would say ignore him and find someone else... But he's your mate... Your only one..." Aminali put her chin in her hands as she spoke, they all looked just as helpless. Except Jasper, who grinned cheekily,

"But... You could always fake it." The subs glanced back and forth at each other in confusion.

"You mean like a fake relationship?" Cassie raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, "That's a recipe for hurt feeling and tears." She added. And it was, it was never a good idea to make a wolf jealous, but Damien was a beta wolf and therefore, it was an even worse idea to wind him up (Especially since he had a chance to be picked as Karliah's beta).

"But he would get so jealous... It might just kick him into gear." Jasper reasoned. He stretched himself out across the desk languidly, he just wanted to cause some mischief really. 

"That- I- wouldn't that mean I would have to do stuff with someone else?" Hanmi asked. She looked from face to face to gauge the general consensus on how stupid of an idea this was, adding, "I don't know if I could do that..."

"Plus, who else would risk their relationship with their mate to join you in this ridiculous plan?" Aminali pointed out, although, like Jasper, she enjoyed a bit of chaos, this was her friend that was thinking about making a stupid decision. 

The group sat in silence for a few moments. 

"I would." Sam announced, his expression blank and his voice cold. Cassie watched him carefully, she couldn't help but worry about him,

"S-Sam..." She whinged. He ignored her and continued, 

"I have my own mate that doesn't pay attention to me." The rest of the group all looked stunned, they had never heard him talk about his mate, they had never heard him even mention finding his mate. The only person in the room who didn't have an almost comical shocked expression painted on was Cassie, although she reckoned her face had looked very similar when she had found out only that very morning. "I don't... Want to talk about it too much" They all nodded kindly, Cassie stared down at the ground awkwardly. "But he's basically embarrassed of me," He managed to hold back tears of shame as he released to the world the truth: that his own mate didn't want him. "so if he doesn't want me, I would love to help you get your mate to give you the attention you deserve."

"Are you guys sure about this?" Cassie looked back and forth at them but neither met her eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments before nodding seriously, like they had just accepted a mission from MI5.

"Thank you." Hanmi whispered. They all seemed to be holding their breaths anxiously until Aminali announced,

"You guys are crazy. This is crazy. And I'm crazy excited to see this mess get even messier." She grinned evilly and Cassie put her head in her hands. 

Sam and Hanmi began conspiring - with occasional help from Jasper and Aminali or a word of discouragement from Cassie. The break soon ended and it was time for their next lesson. 

~

She's sitting in his lap... He has his head on her shoulder... Markus felt the suspicion fill him like a cloud of gas, choking him and making his eyes burn. He wanted to storm over and interrogate his mate and whoever this girl thought she was sitting in his lap. He tried to concentrate on his work as they were all in the library doing free study. But it didn't look like the omega and that girl were reading any books. She was around the same height as him but not as thin and her hair was darker and slightly longer, it sat pristine and shiny on her small head while his was permanently bedraggled. But Markus didn't like prissy perfect hair anyway - He wanted something he could tug on. Sam wrapped his arms around the girls waist loosely, holding her to him gently and listening to Cassie and the one with the braids chattering. Markus watched childishly from behind a book he hadn't read a single word of. Every minuscule movement had him enthralled. 

"You know that we don't take advanced Swahili, right?" Came Damien's voice from behind him. Markus jolted and scanned a few random lines from the book he was holding, 

"I know that..." He snapped, "This is just one of my... Hobbies" He finished lamely. Damien smirked at him and he grinned back. "Anyway, since when do you have free study right now? Shouldn't you be in maths?" He raised an eyebrow in mock seriousness.

"I came to get some test papers copied for Mrs Gomez." He waved a purple binder in his friend's face.

"So you're the teachers pet now?" His friend didn't talk often in class, hardly ever gave answers or put his hand up and never offered to run errands for a teacher. 

"Nah, just like getting out of class for as long as I can." Damien put down the binder and leant back against the table, clearly planning to stretch out his absence as long as possible.

"I don't believe that - I bet you're fucking her and that's why you're suddenly so helpful" Markus teased. 

"That's so gross, dude" Damien shook his head, "She's more than twice my age!"

"Well, apart from the spirit of the holy Christ entering your body, that's the only reason I could think of that you would do anything for anyone." Markus shrugged like this was common knowledge and batted his eyelashes, trying to look innocent but coming across more along the lines of creepy.

"So, either Christ is entering me or I'm entering Mrs Gomez?" Damien chuckled, picking the binder back up and making his way to the librarian's counter to make a request for copies. Deciding not to wait for Markus' reply - even class was better than being accused of being some teacher's you boy.

Markus shook his head and watched the back of his friend leave, but all too soon his attention was quickly drawn back to the omega and the girl in his lap. What he didn't realise though, was that there were two others who were also watching the pair like a hawk from across the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still gathering questions for the Q&A from all the sites I post on, I'll probably post it in about a week? I've written my answers for all my wattpad questions but I still need to do the others ^^ If you still have a question to ask, please do so!
> 
> Also, chapter 20 is taking a really long time to write and I keep editing chapter 19 which is now over 10 pages long so that's why I've been slow with my updates. I'm really sorry but I am still updating this story! So please don't lose faith <3


	18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Karliah raced into her chemistry class, managing to squeeze her way past the students still milling around the entrance deciding on their seats, and leap onto the tall stool beside Cassie. Usually, her friend with the long eyelashes and always-immaculate complexion sat next to her, but today, Karliah was determined to weasel her way into Cassie's friend group. She started pulling her books out hurriedly as Cassie began to protest,

"W-Wait, Aminali sits there..." Her voice trailed off, along with her confidence, as Karliah had already emptied out most of her bag onto the desk. She watched the sub give her friend a hopeless look which was replied to with a shrug and a small smile of understanding. Karliah pretended not to see it... She wished there was even a little bit of happiness or excitement on her mate's small round face, some kind of reflection that she could feel the pull of their wolves' connection. Cassie just let out an almost silent sigh and pulled her long, drooping, chestnut coils into a messy bun on the top of her head, stray curls poking out here and there and small wisps framing her face. Karliah tried to hide her gulp, She's stunning. 

"Right!" All the students sat up a touch straighter at the sound of their teacher's voice as she strutted into the room, "Let's get started." She began to write on the board in black marker, noting down her instructions as she gave them, "Open your books to page 49 where you will find some questions on electrons - If you did your homework you should be able to answer them quite easily but raise your hand if you need some help, I'd rather you asked than guessed - Any questions? No? Then go ahead" She left the task written on the board to let the class get on with and sat at her desk to continue marking books from her previous lesson. 

Cassie dropped her head down and picked up her pen to begin her work quietly and with the intention of generating as little attention as possible. Karliah opened her book, picked up her pen with one hand, and used the other to swiftly pinch her mate's backside. Cassie jolted but managed to stay silent, letting out a slow breath with her eyes closed for a few seconds. While she usually liked being touched by Karliah, she didn't want to be making a scene in the middle of class... and... Where she pinched her there was still a large, lingering, green bruise at the junction of her bottom and thigh. She shifted her chair slightly further away from the alpha and tried to focus on her work. The class chatter began to rise but Cassie stayed silent. The teacher didn't mind them talking as long as they got their work done, and the noise level stayed low enough that she could focus on her marking, so usually Cassie took the opportunity to gossip with Aminali. Today she stayed quiet, trying to ignore the shining silver eyes burning a hole into the side of her head.

Karliah watched her, openly staring at her full force until she managed to gain control of both her brain and mouth,

"So, why were you away this week?" She asked, trying to seem casual. But it didn't matter how she phrased it - Cassie already knew that Karliah had spoken to Sam and instantly felt her defences rising - She's trying to catch me out.

"You already know." Replied Cassie. Not interested in incriminating herself. She kept writing in her workbook, sometimes nonsense because she couldn't keep her thoughts steady and away from the alpha beside her. She hoped that as long as she looked like she was focuses on something that Karliah would take the hint.

"Your omega friend told you about that?" Clearly this strategy wasn't working.

"He has a name." Cassie's sharp and short tone caught Karliah off guard. The subs hand had stopped trying to write and clenched down on her pen instead, she hated the way dominants treated Sam. It was like he wasn't a living being to these people sometimes. Her round cheeks burned red with pent up anger, she was never strong enough to defend him as much as she'd like.

"I apologise," Karliah spoke sincerely, meeting eyes with Cassie and staring deeply into them. "he never told me his name, what is it?" 

"Sam." Cassie spoke softly, unsure now of what the alpha's intentions were. Her heart was racing in her chest almost painfully.

"Well, he seemed nice..." Karliah couldn't help feeling awkward and embarrassed, she didn't know how to make friends with subs, they seemed to be wired completely differently. "I didn't... Scare him... Did I?" 

"Why would you think that?" Cassie looked away again.

"He... Cried a bit... When I asked about you..." Karliah doodled absentmindedly on her workbook, still free of any answers, adding quietly, "I was really worried about you..." Cassie felt her face radiating heat but kept her eyes down. 

"You didn't need to be... I was just a bit... Worn down." She mumbled, glancing around them cautiously for nosey listeners. Karliah was still watching her intently, her sharp features softening slightly with concern.

"If something is on your mind... You can tell me." She spoke firmly, with conviction, "No matter what it is, I can help somehow - I promise." 

"I-it's fine..." Cassie brushed off the sentiment although her heart clenched tightly. 

Karliah held back a pained sigh. I want to understand her... I just want to know her in and out...

"Can... Can we play twenty questions?" She asked awkwardly. Why didn't they teach flirting 101 in DSH? I sound like a fuckboy.

"Um... Okay?" Cassie replied cautiously, still trying her best to keep writing on her worksheet, it was a good excuse not to look into the alpha's eyes... She was worried if she looked into them too long she would start rambling... Verbal diarrhoea bubbling in her stomach.

"What's your favourite colour?" Asked Karliah.

"Burgundy, what's yours?"

"Dark green" Well, it has been since I looked into those eyes. "What's your favourite food?"

"Strawberries, what's yours?"

"Bananas, why are strawberries your favourite?"

"They're sweet and I like lots of shades of red..." Cassie paused for a moment, "What're your favourite flowers?"

"Um... Lilies?" Karliah guessed, she hadn't thought about it much before, "What about you?"

"Orchids. What's your favourite lesson?"

"The ones that I get to see you in." Karliah blurted, they both blushed before she added, "Um, and DSH. What about you?" Cassie was flustered but managed to answer,

"F-Free study." She stuttered. Karliah couldn't help the look of surprise on her face that she didn't get shut down after her little mouth mishap. "What's your least favourite?" 

"P.E" The alpha replied replied, "You?"

"Maths... Why don't you like P.E?" Cassie tilted her head adorably to the side, all her hair swinging with her, "You're a dominant - You get to be good at P.E!" Karliah froze for a moment, unsure of how much to tell her. She's your mate, she thought, she will find out eventually... 

"I-I don't like changing my clothes... In front of people." She murmured, the blush spreading round her high cheekbones and round her small ears, "Why don't y-"

"Why's that?" Cassie interrupted, "You're really... You know... Fit." She spluttered a little, laughing at herself for being so embarrassed about saying it. It wasn't unusual for female wolves to be heavily muscled and toned but Karliah was on another level... Cassie figured it was because she was an alpha.

"Thanks." Karliah blushed again, Cassie liked it. "But, I just..." She looked around, scanning the faces of those around them suspiciously. She couldn't think of anything to say except the truth, better we tell her now than spring it on her later like the giant boners we keep getting over her, the voice in her head reasoned. Karliah's palms had begun to sweat and she realised she still hadn't said anything, she took a calming breath before leaning her face in to the smaller girl's curls and pressing her lips against her ear. "I'm trans." She whispered. Cassie blinked a few times - today was full of surprises apparently.

"Oh, okay." She replied, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to offend, but she did want to know more. "Does... Does your pack know?"

"My parents and the elders know... I guess some of the older members probably have an idea but they've never said anything... But," she paused, "No one here knows so please don't say anything."

"Of course not, it's not my secret to tell." Cassie put her pinkie out and Karliah shook it, grinning. She felt a weight lift off her chest - No, not her implants flying away - a surge of relief running through her at her mate's relaxed response to her coming out.

"Sam said that about you being off school, he's very loyal." 

"I know, he's the best." Cassie gave a small smile. They kept up small talk for the rest of the lesson and Karliah did manage to get something useful down on her paper, eventually. 

Fifteen minutes before the lesson ended, Karliah had one more question for Cassie.

"Um, I was wondering... If I could eat lunch with you guys today?" She tried desperately to keep her heartbeat steady and pretended not to know she was blushing ever so slightly. Cassie blinked, her round eyes scanning the other's sharp, angular face for signs of trickery.

"I-I guess..." She mumbled, staring innocently up at the alpha. The world around them seemed to dim and they simply stared at each other, perched on their stools, for at least a full minute before Karliah cracked a crooked smile. Cassie blushed and looked away, her wolf was leaping about inside of her, her heart thumped with the rhythm of its paws. Oh Lordy, I bet she can hear it too!

Karliah turned back to her work, grinning - She could hear it, and it gave her hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update? Guess I must feel guilty for leaving you guys high and dry for over two weeks! Sorry for my inconsistency...
> 
> If you have a question for the Q&A please comment it on a chapter with (Q&A) at the start or finish!
> 
> Thanks guys!


	19. Q&A

This is a collection of questions sent to me in private messages or asked in the comments. I will add more as I get asked and keep moving it after each new chapter so it's always at the end. Feel free to message me if you have a question and I will answer it anonymously.

 

1\. Does Brandon have a mental illness?

This one is hard to answer fully because it is important to the plot, but I will say that he does have some psychological issues. As someone with mental health problems myself I think it's important to explain that there is a reason behind what he does and that his problems are very specific to his situation, so I wouldn't feel comfortable saying that he has any specific condition.

-

2\. I can't keep up with which packs are which - Who is in what pack?

Scarlett Moon Pack - Sam, Cassie, Markus, Ash, Malachai

Silver Crescent - Aminali, Hanmi

Moon Shadow - Jasper

Lunar Warriors - Damien, Karliah

(This will be updated with new characters as I introduce them to avoid spoilers.)  
-

3\. Favourite foods of the main characters?

Cassie - Strawberries (She loves sweet things!)

Sam - Fairy Cakes (He would love to work in a human patisserie if he could!)

Karliah - Bananas (They're healthy, filling and are good in smoothies - especially with strawberries.)

Markus - Meat. (He especially likes it if it's just come from an animal he hunted.)

-

4\. Which character is most like you?

I would say that Cassie looks most like me, but I dress like a mixture of both Cassie and Karliah depending on where I'm going, I have the insane anger of Markus and I would love to think I'm like Sam in some way but the only thing we really have in common is our permanent bed-head!

-

5\. How many chapters are you planning for this story? / How long will the book be? (Two similar Qs)

Well, I am maybe 75% through Cassie's storyline and I have only started putting in place the plot points needed for Sam's so we definitely have a long way to go. My chapters tend to chop and change in size but I reckon by the time I've fully finished, it will be around 40-50 chapters. Their friend group will also all be tied up with their mates by the end too (So no, Jasper won't end up forever alone) and again, each of their storylines need certain things to happen first in Cassie and Sam's. 

I also have a spin-off story I'm writing for Ash & Malachai but I'm not planning on posting that too soon as I don't want to feel the pressure of updating both at the same time since their story is just for fun. 

-

6\. Does Karliah plan to get her penis removed/change her downstairs to a girls one?

Nope. She is dominant and is happy she can top women with a real penis instead of a strap on, it's also a complicated procedure and they wouldn't know how it would affect her wolf form, plus she wants to get her mate pregnant, and she's generally comfortable as long as her outside appearance is that of the woman she is. 

-

7\. Does Brandon die?

Haha. You guys would like that too much.

-

8\. Would you ever post photos of celebs that look like your characters?

I wouldn't, but I've commissioned some art of my characters and one of the pieces is already done so that will be posted with my next chapter! And some other art I've commissioned will be used on the cover soon! (For those on sites that aren’t Wattpad or Writer’s Cafe, you can find them there.) 

Note: Hanmi’s haircut was completely and totally stolen from GFriend’s Eunha during the ‘Navillera’ promotions though.

-

9.Do you mind people drawing your characters?

Not at all, I’d love that! Please let me know where to find your art so that I can add it to my collection. I use artwork of my characters on Wattpad and Writer’s Cafe.

-

10.Correct me if I'm wrong. The Rape/Non-Con tag is because Brandon is going to rape Cassie, right?

I don’t write full rape scenes, they make me super uncomfortable. I put it as Rape/Non-Con because there are a LOT of moments in this story that I feel count as non-con and I don’t want anyone to feel triggered or uncomfortable when reading my story, I want them to feel that I gave them fair warning. Some parts seem super mild to me but I often have to remind myself that these characters are not taking part in a scene and that when they say ‘stop’, they actually mean it, rather than when I’m in a scene and I say ‘stop’ to mean ‘It’s a lot to handle’ but when I actually mean ‘stop’ I use my safe-word.

-

11.So can every werewolf shift? Is there a difference with their dynamic? Do they turn to wolves or wolf-men?

They all can but Alphas do so more because their wolves are more powerful, whereas Omegas use their wolf form less because their wolf forms are actually less strong than their human forms, so it is safer for them to be in human form. They all enjoy being in their wolf form occasionally and can go a bit stir crazy after a while if they don’t let their wolf out.


	20. CHAPTER NINETEEN

The group of subs sat in a wonky circle over various tables and chairs, an awkward silence having descended over the room the moment Cassie had stepped through the door with a tall, muscled woman wearing a tank top and cargo trousers in tow... An alpha. They had been the last to arrive as Cassie had waited outside of Karliah's English classroom (much to Karliah's delight) to show her where they hung out. Cassie felt overwhelmed at the confused staring directed at her and shuffled to a back corner, hopping carefully up onto a table and sitting stiffly. Karliah on the other hand, was much more at ease. As an alpha, she didn't feel nervous when it was subs staring at her, although deep down she did want these ones to like her - since they were her mate's friends, she couldn't help but want their approval. She swanned through the room, weaving between the tables to sit with Cassie at the rear of the classroom. The smaller girl took her chance to introduce her new friend, 

"Guys, this is Karliah," the alpha waved with a small smile, "we have lessons together and she's my friend so she's having lunch with us." Cassie rambled the second half, stumbling over her words in her haste. The subs just stared back, unsure of what to do, some in mid-bite.

Karliah pulled out her lunch and Cassie followed suit, letting the alpha lead her as she tried to ignore all the eyes glued to her. Karliah grinned at the cutesy, baby pink, and very sparkly lunch box that Cassie produced from her backpack. And the inside was even more adorable, as she lifted the lid Karliah's eyes scanned her food, inspecting it thoroughly, (there was no way her mate would be left hungry or eating garbage) and got a pleasant surprise. Cassie's lunch consisted of two ham salad sandwiches cut into the shapes of teddy bears, various pieces of cucumber and carrot cut into the shapes of flowers, a handful of strawberries with the stalks cut off and a cookie with a smiley face iced onto it. 

"That is the cutest lunch I've ever seen." She announced, "Did you make that yourself?" She looked back at Cassie and watched a blush spread over her cheeks and ears. 

"N-No..." She admitted, "It was Sam, he's a great cook!" She added. Karliah turned to the omega and grinned,

"How do you find the time to cut out the shapes?" she asked, her smile was sincere and Cassie's body visibly relaxed at the sight: her shoulders dropped and and her hands loosened their grip on her lunch box. The other subs also seemed less tense, although still untrusting. All eyes had switched to Sam and he fiddled with his own dinosaur-shaped biscuit, his eyes lowered in respect as he has been taught to act in front of alphas.

"I only do it for our lunches... Everyone else's I just make normally." He shrugged awkwardly and nibbled his biscuit, breaking off the t-rex's tail gingerly. 

"Could you teach me sometime?" The alpha peeled the lid off the white tupperware container that held her salad of mixed greens, peppers, tomatoes and chicken pieces, and tipped it forward to show Sam, who watched her carefully from under his lashes. "It's kinda boring right now..." She pulled out her fork, "But maybe you could show me how to make it more fun?" She scooped up a cluster of lettuce and shoved it into her mouth. Sam waited a few moments, unsure if she was serious or not. Cassie smiled at him reassuringly.

"I could... Show you how to cut those tomatoes into flowers?" His voice was a whisper but in the silent room it sounded like the loudest noise that had ever left his mouth - at least to him. Karliah smiled and gave him a thumbs up as her mouth was full. Aminali suddenly clicked her fingers and pointed at the alpha's face,

"Oh! I know you!" She announced. The others gave her confused looks, especially Cassie - of course they knew her, they had multiple classes with her and she was soon-to-be Damien's alpha. "She's the one that spanked you in the classroom, right?" She blurted. Cassie blossomed beetroot from the base of her neck to her hairline, having completely forgotten that she had shared that piece of information with her friends just that morning when giving a breakdown in the library of all that had been going on with both Karliah and Brandon (a shorter version than what she had told Sam) while Karliah just chuckled through a mouthful of chicken salad.

No one seemed sure how to react, Hanmi blinked owlishly at each face around her in confusion, Cassie was burning up from shame and Karliah just laughed after finishing her bite. Aminali seemed to realise what she had done and slowly lowered her finger, a small, sheepish smile crept onto her face. Karliah managed to stop her chuckling and leant back comfortably,

"Yes, that is I." she was still grinning widely, proudly even, "At least, it had better be." She looked to Cassie with a raised eyebrow. Cassie had yet to regain control of her mouth and so she simply nodded awkwardly and stared down into her lunch. The tension in the room dissipated, just like that the ice was broken and they all felt less nervous.

"So, what lessons did you guys have this morning?" Asked Karliah, leading the conversation away from her wandering hands.

They chatted for the rest of the hour - with Aminali giving the most input and throwing the most jabs at Karliah. She is a good speaker and charismatic when she wants to be... Thought Cassie. She wondered if her mate would be the same or perhaps the complete opposite to her... Two Aminalis might be too much to handle.

Karliah managed to speak to everyone at least once and as they were packing up their things to leave she asked when Sam could come to her pack house and teach her some new culinary skills, Cassie texted Markus about it but never got a reply.

~

Markus was too busy in his own thoughts. He hadn't answered anyone's texts or calls or even direct speech almost all day. All day his mate had been holding hands with that dark-haired girl. Every time he saw them together they were hugging, or sitting on each other, or whispering in each other's ears. It's disgusting... He thought. Why don't they just mark each other already? The voice in his head added sulkily. Although his wolf grumbled at the thought - even if he didn't mean it, his wolf objected firmly. It was making him anxious, a trait he had never truly experienced before, being an alpha meant he generally didn't have much to be afraid of - especially in his childhood when his only 'foes' were other wolves, most of whom were weaker than him physically. But this was definitely a feeling that had never occurred in his body before, his stomach was tight and his heart felt as though it was racing even when it wasn't. He stumbled from class to class blankly, unable to keep his thoughts off Sam for more than ten minutes at a time. 

When he arrived home he raced to his bedroom, shut and locked the door, pulled off his clothes, turned on the shower and stood in the hot spray, slowly rubbing at himself with thoughts of his blue-eyed baby in mind.

~

Once her lessons were over, Cassie began slowly trudging through the hallways to her locker, wondering where Sam had gone. She swapped her books around, only taking home the ones from classes that she had homework due in. Occasionally she felt the need to look over her shoulder, watching like a hawk for Brandon. But it was Karliah appearing silently behind her that made her jump out her skin this time as she turned to check again for her stalker.

"Jesus!" She exclaimed,.

"Not quite, but I'm sure if I had a middle parting and the ability to grow a badass beard then maybe the resemblance would be there." Karliah snatched her bag from her arms, "Come on, I wanna talk in private." Cassie closed her locker and followed slowly, unsure of whether this was a 'you're in trouble' private talk or a 'let's start a secret organisation that fights zombies' kind of private talk.

She found out upon arriving in an empty classroom that it was neither as Karliah captured her lips in a hungry kiss the moment the door was closed. Cassie froze for a moment before letting out a weak moan and opening her mouth slightly. Karliah pushed her back with her chest, sucking on her lips and tongue gently until she knocked her back onto the teacher's desk at the front of the room. They let their tongues dance with each other, not a single thought crossed either of their minds, they just felt... And enjoyed. When Karliah finally pulled their lips apart with a soft smacking noise, Cassie stared back up at her in a daze. She grinned down at her and began to taste her way across the smaller girl's skin, not just her lips now but her cheeks, ears and jaw. Sucking, licking and blowing cold air onto the marks just to feel her mate shiver beneath her.

"Ah-Aaaaah!" Cassie writhed under the heavy weight of Karliah's body, pressing down and pinning her to the desk with her strong hips and arms. The alpha nipped and bit down her neck slowly, taunting her and enjoying the wriggles and yelps beneath her muscled body as her mate tried to make sense of the pain and pleasure spiking through her.

"You never did tell me where you got those bruises on your neck before." She growled into the round girl's collar bone. She heard Cassie's breath catch in her throat before she answered,

"Th-There wasn't much to tell..." Karliah scowled, running her hands down her torso and up her skirt. Cassie felt herself tense, the little voice in her head panicking that Karliah would notice the faint bruises still healing on her thighs.

"Then tell me quickly." She ordered. Cassie squirmed as the alpha's hand crept up her thigh, eventually reaching the waistband of her tights and yanking them down to expose her purple ruffle panties. Clearly the alpha's mind was a bit preoccupied as she apparently didn't notice the marks, although to be fair to her, Cassie didn't notice a familiar figure staring at her through the window from rose bushes at the back of the building; so neither of them win this round.

"Ummm-uuuuuh!" Cassie's reply quickly turned into a moan as Karliah slid her dress all the way up her soft tummy and began to lick a path back down, teasing her in all the nooks and crannies. When she reached the smaller girl's knickers she knelt in front of the desk and slid her tongue around the edges where the frilled offenders met her thighs, teasing at the sensitive skin by dragging her teeth along it. Cassie didn't know whether to push her away or pull her closer and tell her to get on with it. She covered her red face and turned away, suddenly very interested in the 'Reading is Cool!' poster on the wall. Karliah pushed the flat of her tongue into the crease of the underwear formed by Cassie's lips and began to grind it slowly up and down, feeling the shape of her and committing it to memory. "Ah!" Cassie tried to pull herself into a sitting position but one huge hand shoved her back down and held her stomach. "Ka-Karliah!" She whined, her submissive voice bringing on a shudder that ran up the alpha's spine. She began to suck at the thick lips either side, back and forth, occasionally giving one side more attention to see which was more sensitive. 

Cassie's legs trembled and her back arched ever so slightly. Why does it feel so good? I don't know if I can handle this... She let out soft gasps behind her short fingers. Is this allowed? She tried to concentrate and work out if anyone had ever mentioned oral when they talked about mating - She was pretty sure it was only full intercourse that you couldn't have with someone that wasn't your mate... Or at least you shouldn't... However, it was incredibly hard to keep her focus when Karliah began to nip at her outer lips gently, she moaned and writhed under the firm arm holding her to the hard wood of the desk. Her wolf had been simply panting with arousal since they had burst into the classroom, unable to see anything past lust. "Fuuuck!" She moaned. Karliah took her debauched gasps and groans as the signal to slide the soaking panties to one side and take her first real taste of her mate, she had been wondering for weeks if her juices tasted as sweet as her caramel skin looked. She enveloped almost the entirety of Cassie's lips and clit in her mouth and sucked like a vampire on his deathbed. The brunette moaned loudly and she mimicked the noise whole heartedly. Her cock throbbed rhythmically and she gripped the smaller girl's thighs in her hands tightly, holding her close and firm.

"Oh-Oh God!" Cassie cried, "I- Ah!" Her legs shook and twitched either side of Karliah's head. I feel so guilty... My stomach hurts... Cassie tried to push the painful thoughts to the back of her mind, her body felt like it was on fire from the pleasure coursing through her veins, but her heart was icy and shivering in fear of what she was doing. I shouldn't be doing this. Why isn't my wolf crying or telling me to stop? Her hands slid down the skirt of her dress and gripped it tightly in her hands in an attempt to release the pressure building inside of her. "O-o-o-oh my god!" She cried out, her legs spreading instinctively at the soft wet tongue grinding into her expertly. Karliah was analysing every sound, every shudder and every sensitive spot.

Soft sucking sounds filled the room, mingling with Cassie's pants and moans. Karliah was addicted to the curly-haired sub's flavour already and she never wanted to let go. Her jaw was starting to ache but she couldn't stop licking and sucking at the sweet peach between her mate's jittery legs. She could feel that Cassie was getting close, her body shuddered whenever Karliah rubbed the tip of her tongue against the side of her clit - and the alpha planned to use that particular trick to her advantage to finish her off. She tried to ignore her dick rubbing against her trousers painfully, she wanted to touch herself so badly but not before Cassie came - she was raised with manners after all! 

The tingling sensations and spikes of pleasure were becoming too much for Cassie - the more incredible Karliah made her feel physically the more disgusted she felt at her actions. I can't let this happen. She thought, This is wrong. I need to stop this now before I really screw up any chance I have with my mate. I already let her be the first person to finger me... I can't let her keep taking my firsts. Her stomach filled with acid at the thought and she suddenly felt the urge to vomit. I can't do this. I have to stop this. Her panting became interjected with sniffling as she held back tears of shame and remorse.

"I-I can't! Karliah, please!" She cried out. Karliah gave a few more licks before lifting her head,

"Please more or please stop?" she asked. Her eyes were molten silver, burning into Cassie's own watering emerald orbs. 

"I-I..." Cassie tried to slow her breathing, lowering her hands to flatten her her bunched up dress modestly. I want it so much... The flutters in her stomach could have been from fear or excitement but she couldn't process anything anymore, she felt like everything was too intense all of a sudden, every smell, every colour and every sound was too much for her to process. "I don't know..." She whispered. Karliah tilted her head and began to kiss up the smaller girl's legs,

"If you don't want to do this you don't have to..." She gave a small smile, barely able to conceal her disappointment. "You have every right to stop whenever you want, darling." She meant it, although Karliah couldn't help but pick at her brain for every detail - had she not pleasured her mate well enough? Was she not satisfied? Did she just not make the cut? 

Cassie stared into Karliah's eyes for a few seconds before losing control. Her mind broke as guilt and regret flooded her, spilling out of her eyes and threatening to rise up her throat. She clamped her hands over her mouth again, but this time to quiet the helpless sobs that she couldn't hold back. Karliah watched her mate's hysteria rise with wide eyes. She had no idea what to do, she didn't even know why her mate was crying. She finally decided to try a sympathetic hug but as she stood up to wrap her arms around Cassie's chubby, trembling body, the sub pushed herself off the desk and stumbled under her arms and out the door - pulling up her underwear and tights haphazardly as she ran. Karliah watched her go, dumbfounded, wondering what the hell she had done wrong.

She ran her fingers through the baby hairs hanging out of her signature French braids and tucked them behind her ears. She let her body slump back, sitting on the edge of the desk with a huff. Minutes that felt like hours crawled by, Karliah stared ahead with her arms crossed and her trousers hanging slightly off her hips.

~

When Cassie got home she headed straight for Sam’s room but he was nowhere to be found, she huffed and stomped up to her own bedroom to sulk and start on her homework. She would tell him in the morning then.

~

The next day, Cassie and her friends sat around the back table in the library, their usual spot for free study. Cassie sat between Aminali and Jasper, gossiping. Well, Cassie was more of a listener but she still enjoyed her role of audience member - it was the highlight of her day when she got to hear all the news spreading through the school. Sam and Hanmi sat slightly away from the group, Hanmi perched on Sam's lap, as was a common occurrence now, the others still found it a bit odd seeing them act as thought they couldn't keep their hands off each other, but they knew if the plan was to work that they had to do their best to pretend this was completely normal - they were 'mates' after all. Sam could feel a pair of golden eyes burning into the back of his head but kept his own pointed at the nape of Hanmi's neck, half visible under her black bob. He ran his hand up her back, she shivered a little but said nothing, until he reached the meeting of her shoulder blades. He gently massaged his way up to her throat, sliding his hand under her hair and rubbing at her pale skin, a trait they shared. They had a lot in common, actually. Pale skin, dark hair, thin, short, shy personalities and a love for cute things, he didn't know if these similarities made them seem like the perfect match or too alike to be able to stand each other. As he let himself be led into his thoughts, willingly getting lost, Markus drilled holes into his skull with his eyes, glaring menacingly over another book he wasn't reading (this time: 'Medical Apartheid' by Harriet Washington). Watching Sam run his hands over that skinny bitch had first caused his heart to pound from anger, but as he methodically rubbed at her neck Markus began to imagine Sam exploring his own body with those hands, Sam rubbing his neck while he sat at his desk as alpha of the pack, Sam tracing over his abs with his tiny delicate fingers and then... Sam jerking him off. He didn't know how it always turned dirty with the imaginary Sam in his head, but it did and he doesn't care what you think, judgemental reader. 

He managed to drag his eyes from his mate to the clock, eventually, and worked out that they had 25 minutes left till they needed to pack up for their next class. He stood, ignoring his things left on the table and stalked towards his prey; Sam looked up, swallowed, and looked away again, resting his chin on Hanmi's shoulder. 

"Omega." Markus tried to keep his voice in check, no growling or snarling. Sam held in a sigh,

"Yes, sir?" He answered turning his head but not lifting it from Hanmi's skin. He had felt her body turn rigid when Markus approached and rubbed circles on her leg to try and calm her - Markus would never hurt her. She didn't know they were mates but she still feared an alpha hulking over her, especially an alpha from another pack.

"I need to discuss pack matters with you," Sam nodded but stayed seated. "in private." Markus added. Again, Sam had to hold back a sigh, a feat that became more painful the more exasperating his alpha was. 

"Yes, sir." He mumbled. Hanmi slid off his legs, gave his hand a squeeze and plopped herself into the vacant chair beside Aminali, she was hiding her face under her bangs but Sam knew she was upset and the others quickly caught on as they looked up and observed the scene before them curiously. 

"Is everything okay... Sir?" Cassie tried not to cringe, she would never normally call him 'sir' but she was worried about her friend...

"Fine." He grumbled, "Come on, Omega." He turned and strode away without looking back, Sam stood slowly and followed dejectedly.

Markus lead them to a supply closet and shoved Sam inside roughly before looking both ways down the corridor and stepping inside the cramped room.

“Pack business?” Sam tried not to sound too disrespectful, just enough that Markus knew he was annoyed but still obedient.

“Yes, very important, in fact.” Markus sneered, “On behalf of the pack I need you to wank me off.”

“And you couldn’t say that in front of my friends, why?”

“Shut up and get on with it.” He undid the top button of his jeans and pulled the zipper down hurriedly before snatching Sam’s hand and shoving it into his boxers. The omega jerked forward, using his free hand to steady himself against Markus’ hard chest. It wasn’t like he hadn’t touched Markus… there… before, but the shock of having his hand thrust into his alpha’s pants so suddenly made him freeze for a few moments, the head of Markus’ half-erect dick pressed into the palm of his hand. He curled his fingers around the top and began to jerk his hand up and down, using the precum as a lubricant. Markus moaned softly and thrust his hips forward, forcing Sam to back up until his back was pressed to a wooden shelf and he had nowhere else to go. Markus placed one hand on the shelf to hold himself and used the other to grab a fistful of Sam’s hair and tug him closer. Sam gasped and winced, trying to continue rubbing at him so he wouldn’t get in trouble. Markus growled low in his throat and sealed their bodies together so tightly Sam struggled to keep his hand moving.

“Ah.” Markus’ eyes fluttered, “Fuck, right there.” Sam continued to massage the ‘golden’ spot, starting just below the head, rubbing up to the tip. “Fuck, I’m gonna come - put it in your mouth!” He groaned out frantically.

“Wha-” Sam shook his head, painfully due to the rather large hand still holding onto his hair. “No, I don’t want to!”

“You what?”

“I don’t want your come in my mouth, sir!” He had been thinking about what Cassie had said about him being forced… He started to wonder if maybe he was… He had always enjoyed what they did but he knew deep down he didn’t have choice whether he wanted to or not, but did that count as forcing?

“It’s going to make a mess! Just get on your fucking knees, Omega!”

“You can’t make me!” He snapped defiantly, before adding, “Sir.” No matter your rank in the pack, you can’t sexually assault people. Sam knew it would be hard to get justice if he did, his word was still the word of an Omega. But the rules were the rules, and Markus knew it.

“Ugh,” Markus’ jerking hips had begun to stutter, he was so close. “I’m your mate, can’t you just help me out?” He groaned. Sam gave him a sour look, mate my arse, does he really think that’ll convince me? “Ah, fine! I’ll just come all over you and you, ah, can go out there and enjoy the rest of your classes looking like, aaah, you’ve just come off the set of a porno!” Sam rolled his eyes with a sigh and sank to the floor, pulling Markus’ throbbing cock out fully and placing the very tip in his mouth, using his hands to work the rest of his shaft. Markus had kept the hand in his hair and now used it as leverage to hump against Sam’s face, moaning and panting until he hit his climax. Warm cum shot into Sam’s mouth, he swallowed it quickly and immediately removed his lips from Markus, refusing to give him the satisfaction of the after-suck: when a man comes and then you keep sucking until he’s left cross-eyed. “Good boy.” Markus sneered, putting himself away. Sam stood and watched Markus leave first, waited a few minutes and slipped out off to his next class.

~

Sam sighed,

“I’m sorry about the interruption earlier…” he said. He had been waiting to apologise since he had been so rudely pulled away from them that morning by Markus. The group sat around in their usual classroom eating lunch quietly, Cassie had barely spoken a word since Karliah had joined them a few minutes into their lunch break. They all gave him sympathetic looks.

“Are you okay?” Cassie put her arm around him in a half-hug that lasted a few seconds before returning to her seat beside him, he probably wanted space.

“You weren’t in trouble were you?” Karliah asked, her face full of concern. He gave her a sad look but didn’t reply, technically he was in trouble but he didn’t want to explain why.

“He is such an arsehole!” Aminali exclaimed. She suddenly turned to Karliah nervously, “But… Please don’t tell him I said that…” She bit her lip worriedly but Karliah waved it off,

“No worries, I would never repeat anything you guys say.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a real conversation with an alpha before…” Aminali admitted. She stood closer to Karliah, as though she were fascinated at the sight of her. “Except, like, when you came yesterday and we spoke for, like, five minutes.”

“You don’t talk to your alpha?” Karliah asked, trying hard to hide how uncomfortable she felt.

“Do you talk to the subs in your pack?” Jasper raised his eyebrows as he questioned her, resting his chin on his hand.

“Well…” Karliah both looked and felt just a little bit sheepish. “I guess not… All of them.” Aminali jumped on the bandwagon,

“And why not?” Karliah knew what she was implying, that she was one of those arsehole alphas that didn’t give a shit about subs that weren’t their mate.

“My pack is pretty big, kid.” She shrugged, her tone boastful and a smile sitting on her face.

“And yet, I bet you could name all of the dominants within your pack.” Aminali smiled back. Karliah frowned.

“Maybe not… all of them… “At this every sub in the room gave her a look of ‘do we look stupid to you?’ “Okay, fine, you’re right. I should get to know the subs in my pack better, it frustrates me that my dad doesn’t and I should make more effort to be a better alpha than him, I’m sorry.” She spoke sincerely and they could all feel that she meant every word.

“Wow.” Jasper couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Not gonna lie, wasn’t expecting that.” Aminali added. Hanmi leant forward, 

“I’ve never heard an alpha apologise before.” she whispered.

“Really?” Karliah raised a sharp brow as she looked from face to face. Cassie crossed her arms,

“Subs don’t get apologised to. Doms do what they want and when they fuck you over the best you can hope for is to be left alone afterwards.” she refused to meet Karliah’s eyes.

“Well, shit.” Aminali muttered, “This turned sour quick.” 

“Sorry.” Cassie got up, her expression stony.

“Cassie?” Sam whispered. She walked past him without saying a word.

“Cassie,” Karliah stood up to stop her, putting herself between the sub and the door. “Can I-”

“Can I walk past or must I wait until you allow me to, oh great-and-mighty alpha?” The smaller girl snapped. Her friends had matching expressions of shock on their faces, none of them had a clue what to do.

“I’m not your enemy, Cassie.” Karliah’s voice was sweet and soothing but Cassie wasn’t in the mood to be tempted by it.

“You’re also not my alpha.” Karliah was stunned and hurt, and it showed, Cassie could see it on her face. They stared at each other for at least three minutes before Sam interrupted, using a breath he had been holding for the entire duration of their staring contest.

“Cassie…” The air in the room had become heavy with tension as each sub tried to work out the animosity between the blonde and brunette. “Don’t…”

“It’s okay Sam, I just… Need some space.” She pushed past Karliah, having to use all her strength and trying to hide how hard It was to budge her even an inch. She slipped out of the room, closing the door gently and padding down the hallway with her face down, lost inside her own head. A ghost gliding between its fellow students. It always came back to the same thoughts, the old ‘you’ll know it when you feel it’ but she didn’t feel ‘it’ with Karliah or Brandon and yet they both seemed obsessed with her. She had to admit, she felt something with Karliah… But she didn’t think it was ‘it’ so much as just that Karliah was good-looking and confident and strong and… Are we tackling the real problems here or day-dreaming about our crush? She shook her head. She couldn’t understand why either of her admirers would want her if they had their own mates so it simply didn’t make sense - love triangles didn’t occur with werewolves. Someone had to be faking, but she wasn’t even sure who… Brandon was all over the place, flirtatious and touchy one moment and sadistic and cruel the next, but that could mean he’s either crazy enough to try and mess around with two people at the same time or he was genuine and felt he could let out his oddness because she was his mate and couldn’t do anything about it. Then with Karliah… She was sane, probably, but then that meant she could be playing Cassie for fun or as a place-holder till she found her real mate… Practising on her body to be able to please her future lover… Not that she really needs to, she’s already a beast with her tongue… She felt her cheeks burn at the thought. She felt bad for giving Karliah the cold shoulder all day but she just needed a few days to get her head together and work out what to do… She felt so guilty about what had transpired between them in that classroom. She liked her, wanted to be her friend at the very least and she couldn’t help the feeling that she wanted more, but how much more? 

The slam of a door jolted Cassie out of her thoughts and she felt an arm slither around her waist, the hand at the end gripping her hip tightly. She paused for only a second before continuing down the hallway, refusing to turn her head and look at Brandon’s expression, she didn’t want to see how much he was enjoying touching her. He let her lead them onwards for a bit.

“Where is it that you’re going?” He murmured in her ear, taking a moment to sniff the curls hanging there. She sighed,

“Who knows?” She mumbled, “Away from here…”

“I have a place in mind.”

“I’m not interested in playing house in your serial killer cabin.”

“What? You want me to wine and dine you first?” He snorted, “Since when do whores have standards?”

“I’m not a whore.” She growled. He snorted again and pulled her flush against him, resting his mouth against the very top of her forehead.

“Oh, baby.” He gave her round backside a squeeze with one hand, “You won’t be once you’re all mine… officially.” She rolled here eyes.

“Get bent.” She gave a shove to his chest to no avail.

“You first, I’ll bend you over myself.” He threatened, sliding a hand up to her throat and squeezing gently.

“You’re disgusting.” She spat, pushing at the arms tied around her; again, he didn’t budge. He gave her neck a warning press with his fingers.

“Trust me, I find you far more revolting than you me.” He smiled sadly, looking genuinely disappointed.

“Boy, please. You just about cream your pants whenever I whine.” She felt uncharacteristically courageous after snapping at Karliah and getting away with it. Her wolf was pacing anxiously inside of her, unsure of how to help in this volatile situation.

“You’ve got some fight in you today, this’ll be fun.” He ran the hand that had still been sitting at her tiny waist down to the underneath of her bottom, pinching at the line where cheek met thigh.

“Because that’s what you really enjoy, right?” She muttered angrily,“The struggle. That feeling of power when I fight back and can’t win.”

“Mmmm… I’d say that’s only 50% of my enjoyment.” He grinned for real now, rubbing his thumb up and down the soft skin under her chin. 

Doors banged open and students began swarming around them, finding their way to their last classes of the day. Brandon pulled Cassie even tighter against him, removing the hand from her neck and wrapping it back around her waist. She winced, struggling to breathe against his chest.

“I have to go, I have biology.”

“I’d love to teach you a few things about biology.” He snarled menacingly, she wondered if that was supposed to turn her on.

“You need to be taught some manners first.” She snapped.

“I can see you’re feeling cheeky today and as cute as it was at first, I’m growing tired of your backtalk.” He peered around them with a quick swoop of his dull brown eyes. “Now, you’re going to walk with me to my car and you’re not going to make a scene or I will really, and I mean really, hurt your omega twink friend.” Cassie swallowed, nodded and lowered her gaze, awaiting his instruction. “Good girl.” She hated the excitement in his voice, how pleased he sounded with himself. He released her curvy body, leaving just the one arm attached to her, keeping her glued to his side as he began to half-drag her down the hallway, his long legs taking giant strides while her own, smaller limbs struggled to keep up, having to take at least two steps for every one of his. No one questioned them or gave them a second glance, they looked like any other couple walking the hallways together except for the occasional trip-up where Cassie fought to match his speed as he barrelled his way through the school and towards the main entrance. Every time she stumbled he used the arm around her waist to lift her back up, never missing a step as he did so. Cassie wondered if this was something he had done before. They reached the front double doors and he held it open with his spare arm, nodding her through. They slipped round the side of the building to the student’s car park and headed directly for his car, a shiny black Mercedes. Once it was unlocked, he let her go to open the passenger door, watching her carefully as she climbed in, holding her skirt down and inserting herself as gracefully as she could. Cassie felt a strange tension in the air between them as he watched her get in, was this what Sam was talking about? Is he my mate and that’s why he acts so strangely around me? I do feel weird right now… He’s staring at me so intently… I almost feel embarrassed… Brandon slammed her door, jabbing her out of her thoughts. She put her hands in her lap awkwardly, unsure as to whether she should put her seat belt on.

He climbed in, shut his own door and stared straight ahead for a few moments in silence. Cassie watched him, noticing dark circles under his eyes and wondering when the last time he slept was. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed,

“Why…” He let the word hang in there, his eyes searching for the next pieces of vocab to string on… 

“Why…” Cassie began hesitantly, watching for a cue to shut up. “Why did you pick me to… pick on?” He pulled a face, considering the question, and turned to look her in the eyes.

“The Goddess picked you for me, stupid.” He said.

“What… what do you mean?” No. Her first thought burst through with such force it almost came out of her mouth.

“You know.” He growled, “I know you do!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brandon.” She whimpered, “I’m serious.” She didn’t believe it, he couldn’t be her mate… But then how would she know? She didn’t know what finding your mate felt like… They always say ‘you just know’ but she didn’t… She didn’t feel any different. 

“Florencia.” He murmured. Who is Florencia? Cassie thought, but didn’t bother asking, he looked worryingly close to cuckoo mode. He leant his head in, his expression softening only slightly.

“What does that mean?” Cassie whispered. 

“Do you really not remember?”

“I-I…” She showed her bewilderment clearly on her face, her mouth hanging slightly open and her eyebrows pulled together. “Don’t know.”

“Florencia.” He breathed out, Cassie didn’t know if it was a breath of relief, annoyance or exhaustion. He reached out a hand and ran two fingers through a curl resting against her cheek, turning the end around in his fingers, playing with it gently. “It’s okay.” He sighed. “I know that I’m right and you will know too soon.” Cassie stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what exactly he was expecting her to say. She decided to play along, he was clearly having some kind of breakdown… Better to try to ride the wave than fight against it and set him off.

“O-okay.” She tested a small timid smile. “I’m sure I’ll understand soon.” Goddess, I hope so, she thought. He seemed comforted by this, more relaxed even. Too quickly for Cassie to react, Brandon’s hands slipped up to her jaw and pulled her up to him, and pressed their lips together. She let him rub his lips against her for a few seconds, closed her eyes, trying to get her thoughts together, trying to form a plan of what to do next and what to think. He brushed at the skin below her jaw with his thumbs, massaging at her neck as he kissed her. I don’t feel it… I can’t be sure if he’s my mate… She opened her eyes and tried to pull back but his hands were a vice around her neck. “Mmmf!” She whined, pulling at his hands, trying to dislodge even a finger from her skin. She felt his lips pull away and took a deep breath, “What the hell?!” she exclaimed. He huffed and rolled his eyes before turning to the wheel, turning the key in the ignition and pulling off the handbrake.

“You should watch your language.” He teased. Cassie pulled her seatbelt on.

“You should watch your hands,” He jerked round the entrance sign and onto the main road, “and your driving! Bloody hell!” Her short nails dug into the upholstery of her seat. It seems his driving mirrors his personality… She thought.

“I’m serious, you little bitch.” His tone was no longer teasing. “Don’t you curse in front of me.” He raced down the main road like he had bet his life on winning a race to the end of it. Cassie’s stomach flipped when he hit the accelerator, hard.

“Are you trying to reach hyper-speed?” She blurted, “Slow the fuck down!”

“What did I just say about your language?” He snapped, “I will pull this car over and spank you, you know I don’t bluff.” He swung round another bend haphazardly. At least if we get in an accident it’ll be over quickly, has he never been introduced to the brake?

“Good, pull this car over and watch me run, buttface.” If I’m going to die in a horrible car accident, I might as well say what I want beforehand.

“Strike two. I was planning to drop you off home-” 

“Oh, of course you were!” She interrupted, her tone vicious. His fingers gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. “How silly of me to think you would try to kidnap me again.”

“Strike three, dipshit. You’re out.” He flew the car down a sharp right turn and accelerated down a back road. Cassie felt regret fill her body. He pulled over jerkily by some trees and killed the engine. “Come here.” His voice was low.

“You expect me to willingly-” Brandon locked the doors, flipped the arm rests, pressed the release tab for her seat belt, grabbed her by the thigh and dragged her towards him, all faster than Cassie could turn her head. “Hey!” Cassie clawed at her seat, fighting to pull herself away. Her body was slowly dragged to the driver’s side of the car. Brandon pulled her legs apart and ‘sat’ her on his lap with her thighs either side of his own, Cassie stopped struggling and looked at him with a confused expression. “What’re y-” Her face was slammed down onto the passenger seat, one of his lightly muscled arms pressing down on her lower back and the other swinging her legs round, trapping them between the door and the seat. He manipulated her body with ease and once she recovered from the shock of having her small, upturned nose buried in the leather upholstery, she began to squirm, trying to push herself up on her elbows.”Stop it!” He snatched her hands out from beneath her, sending her face-first back into the chair, he pulled them together to hold with one hand and wrapped the seatbelt around them, tying it in a crude knot that was barely more than a tangle. “Let me go, you crusty, disgusting-” Brandon slid his hand under her short, pleated skirt. “H-hey! Get your hand out from there!” She yelled, twisting her hips back and forth to shift his wandering fingers. He flicked the clothing up to reveal her backside covered by pink and grey, lace-lined panties, his fingers traced the lining of them until they climbed down between her legs. “Get off, you creep!” She screamed. She heard the hit before she felt it, a hard slap to the middle of her rear. “Owwww! FUCK!” He repeated the action, 

“Enough with the sailor talk.” he ordered.

“You just wait-” Another hit broke her off.

~

Karliah shuffled in her seat, wondering if she had eaten something funky; her stomach felt like it was full of lead and her wolf was pacing back an forth anxiously. We’re fine. She reassured it. Probably bad chicken, nothing to worry about. But she was worried about something, she just didn’t know what.

~

“What’re you gonna do? I could break your spine right here and now with a push of my hand.” He rested his hand on her lower back warningly. 

“But you won’t.” She spoke with a confidence she didn’t have.

“You don’t know that. Even I don’t know that. You incite all kinds of feelings in me… I can’t tell if I love you or hate you.” For a few seconds Cassie simply laid there, giving no fight as she mulled over what he had said. It made sense but was also scary to think about. He threw his palm down again with a sharp snap of the wrist.

“Oooooow!” She whined. He shivered under her, the beginnings of a boner pressing against her stomach.

“Apologise.”

“For saying ow?”

“For your potty mouth, stupid.”

“Oh, plea-” Another smack sent ripples across her backside and yelp from her throat, interrupting her sarcasm. “MOTHER F-” And another. “JESUS, MARY AN-” And another. “Stoooooop!” She whined. Her backside burned, but not as much as her cheeks, the humiliation was almost as painful as the hits. He hit her again with brutal force and she had to fight tears off with all of her willpower. He gave a few lighter smacks, teasing her, before another harsh blow. “Shiiiit.” She squirmed in his lap, pulling at the belt holding her arms hostage, the pain and embarrassment became too much for her. “P-” She hid her face behind a curtain of hair, turning away from him, “Please.” She whispered. He let out a quiet moan, enjoying her submission. She felt sick at the thought.His dick was digging into her abdomen now. He rubbed his hand over her cheeks, squeezing at the sweet soft skin.

~

The alpha huffed, feeling restless. She excused herself from her class, claiming she felt unwell. It was technically true but she was starting to think it was because her wolf could sense something bad. The hard part was deciphering what was wrong, her wolf didn’t know and so neither did she. But it was bad. She sent out a group text to some of her most trusted dominants within her pack to find out if anything was wrong and then sent a novella of a text to Cassie, begging that she confirm she was okay as soon as possible. She hadn’t seen her since she had walked out at break but she convinced herself the problem wasn’t with her mate - with her being so close her wolf would know instantly if she were in danger. Once they were mated she would know for miles if something happened.

~

“How adorable.” He murmured.

“I hate you.”

“Good.” He rocked his hips, just a little. “I should just leave you out here on the side of the road, you deserve it.”

“Please do! I’m safer walking home than I am with you!”

“You’re being melodramatic.” He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her up to face him, her arms were almost pulled out of their sockets by the belts wrapped around them.

“Are you fucking serious?!” She growled in his face, her arms wriggling free.

“I’m fucking serious that you need to stop using that kind of foul language!” He glared at her, their noses almost touching.

“What’s the big shitting, fucking, pissing deal?!” She roared. 

“My mate would never say something that vulgar!” He threw the door open and tossed her out in one motion, sending her to the ground, flat on her back, with ease. The shock ricocheted through her body, for a few moments she was so stunned she could only lift her head, 

“Then spend your time tormenting them!” She called back, probably not a smart move but she didn’t care. Her back ached from where she had hit the ground.

“When you’re ready to stop being crazy-” He slammed his door shut and rolled the window down.

“Coming from our resident expert: King of Crazytown!” She could just about pull herself up to a leaning sitting position.

“You know where to find me.” He started the engine.

“No, I don’t.” She snapped. “But that’s perfectly fine with me.” She pulled herself up to her knees, flipping him the bird with the hand that wasn’t being used to stabilise her body. She only felt slightly dizzy now, but didn’t trust her legs not to make a fool of her if she tried to stand too quickly.

“Our private place.” He swung the car round, pointing back the way they had come.

“Ain’t nothing ‘ours’ about private places - mine’s mines and yours’ yours.” She pulled herself up to her feet slowly, testing herself with small movements until she felt confident enough to step back away from the road a few paces, desperate to put some distance between them.

“Florencia would never say ‘ain’t’.” His voice was tainted with disgust and he pulled away from the side of the road to a rendition of ‘Ain’t nothing but a she thang’ by Cassie in a key so wrong you wouldn’t believe she had heard the song before. Once his car was out of sight she stopped ‘singing’ and flew into a rage: kicking stones, throwing sticks and growling to herself. She felt powerless and stupid and useless, she didn’t know if she was more angry at him or at her own weak body for not being able to defend itself.

~

It took two hours to walk back to her pack house, it would have been twenty minutes by car but she trudged slowly through the undergrowth that was almost waist high along the sides of the road. Every step hurt either from the smarting on her backside or the ache in her back. She had been tempted to shift into her wolf form, it would be quicker and she could use her heightened sense of smell to find her way easier, but she knew the area and therefore knew it was owned partly by another pack (who would be more likely to be hostile if she were in wolf form) and the other part by a large human family who grew crops and raised various farm animals, they were bound to be wandering the land and would not take kindly to a small wolf darting past them, if they told anyone she would be in big trouble with the elders, and she was already in enough trouble with enough people as it was. She wanted to make up with Karliah but she would have to wait till she got home and get her number off Sam, she had left all of her things in her locker and didn’t want to go back and face her friends after being spanked and humiliated. She would tell Sam and that was it, and not straight away, the shame was still a little fresh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I forgot to post this! Please forgive me!
> 
> Also, it NEVER keeps my italics for the thoughts and it is really starting to bug me...


	21. CHAPTER TWENTY

Cassie sat cross-legged on her bed, trying to gear herself up to tap out the number on her mum’s phone. She had started the call a couple of times but chickened out each time after one ring. It was getting late when she finally pressed down on the green button and managed to hold herself back from hanging up straight away, Karliah answered after six rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Cassie.” The sub mumbled.

“Hey,” Karliah breathed, sounding just a little nervous. Cassie felt a lot nervous. “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just…” She bit her lip and fiddled with her blankets, “I wanted to apologise for…”she let it hag for a moment.

“Yeah, me too.” Karliah took over. “I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard.”

“I should have told you how I felt.” Cassie admitted.

“How do you feel?”

“I have no clue.”She sighed. She had been plagued with sleepless nights, thinking about Karliah and Brandon, trying to get her thoughts in order. She had no idea what to think. 

“I thought so.” Karliah teased lightly.

“What gave it away?” Cassie asked sarcastically. The alpha laughed,

“So,” she paused. “we’re okay?”

“We’re okay.” Cassie smiled. 

“Good, now are you okay?” 

“I… Yeah, I’m okay.” The brunette spluttered, although again, she had no clue.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I disappeared today but please don’t ask where I went because you always want to know everything and I really don’t want to talk abo-” Karliah interrupted, sounding more than alarmed,

“Woah, wait, you left school?” she demanded.

“Uh, no.”

“Don’t lie, what time did you leave?” She sounded so urgent, so worried, it scared Cassie a little.

“After break.”

“The one that I saw you in?”

“Yeah.”

“Something happened, I knew it!” Karliah growled, “I thought you were safe in my radar but you weren’t and-”

“It’s fine. Please don’t push me on this or we’re no longer good.” Karliah went silent for a long time, Cassie didn’t want to make a sound, holding her breath to listen for her answer.

“Fine.” Cassie let the air out in a soft sigh of relief.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“See you tomorrow?” The alpha asked, with just a hint of stiffness in her voice.

“Yeah. Bye.” Cassie replied, worried that she had ruined their friendship before it had truly started.

“Bye.”

~

She caught Sam up on what had happened with Karliah and Brandon as they walked to school the next day but he didn’t know what to do either.

“He sounds scary.” His expression was pained, he worried so much about her.

“He is scary!” She stressed her words despite knowing she didn’t need to for Sam to take her seriously, he was more concerned than she was.

“Maybe… maybe you should tell Karliah…” He fiddled with the straps of his backpack nervously.

“Why?”

“She could help you, she’s an alpha!” 

“I don’t want my friends to have to protect me, it’s pathetic.” She grumbled.

“You protect me all the time.” He said softly, Cassie felt a pang in her heart and instantly regretted her words. She grabbed his hand and stopped him, 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.” he sighed.

“Just give me permission to tell her if I think you’re in serious trouble, please.” He held both her hands now, pulling them to his chest and looking deep into her eyes.

“Serious trouble?” She rolled her eyes at him. She didn’t think Brandon was deadly.

“He sounds dangerous Cass! And he’s getting worse!” Sam cried. “Plus, he looks an absolute state lately - are you sure he’s not on drugs?” Cassie agreed with that, every time she saw Brandon he looked worse and worse. He looked downright mangy the day before, it seemed as though with every encounter she had with him, he dropped one more item from his list of hygiene requirements for leaving his house. Washing and brushing his hair, brushing and flossing his teeth, cleaning his face and swapping his clothes to clean ones had definitely already gone out the window, although if he was washing any part of his body she would be surprised.

“I couldn’t say for sure…” She had wondered if it was drugs, but there weren’t many ways she could tell aside from him confessing or seeing the drugs herself, she didn’t know enough about drugs to be sure.

“Please, just say that I can tell Karliah if I’m worried.” He gave her his killer pout. “She’s got more muscle in her pinkie than I do in my entire body, if something happens, it’s her you’re going to want coming to your rescue.” Cassie sighed,

“Fine.” she relented, “but only if you really think I’m in danger… I haven’t really known her that long and it’s not cool to expect her to be my personal bodyguard when we’ve only known each other a couple of months - and have only really gotten along the last week or two!”

“Getting along?” Sam wiggled his eyebrows, “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

“Oh, shut up!” She rolled her eyes with a laugh and they shuffled their way into class.

~

It had been a week since Brandon spanked her in his car. Things seemed normal in the friend group, Karliah had spent every break with them since that day and although she had started stiff and awkward all over again, soon she had relaxed again.

“Am I a Beyonce or a Shakira?” Aminali announced the question to the room, playing with her hair as she balanced on the edge of a high lab table. 

“Like, who do you look most like?” Karliah asked.

“I’m aware that I’m black, Karliah.”Aminali dead-panned, they all laughed.

“Oh, thank god, I didn’t know how I was going to break that news to you.” Joked Karliah.

“Thank you for your concern but back to the more important issue - Yonce or Shakira?” 

“Why those two women?” The alpha looked around at the other subs for clarification.

“Have you not seen ‘Beautiful Liar’?” Cassie gasped dramatically, “The baddest booty-off of the 21st century?”

“The baddest booty-off of the 20th century being Mae versus Marilyn.” Added Jasper.

“I’m Beyonce on the outside, Shakira on the inside.” Announced Cassie. Karliah still looked bewildered,

“I still don’t understand what that means.” she said. Jasper quickly chimed in to help explain,

“It means she looks like a respectable, bad-bitch boss-lady from the outside but on the inside she’s a hoe.” he gave her a cheeky thumbs up.

“Shakira is not a hoe!” Aminali interjected, sounding extremely offended. “She’s just more open about her sexuality and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Of course not!”Jasper agreed, he saw nothing wrong with being a hoe. “I’m Shakira through and through - nothing respectable about me!”

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that I am truly shocked at that revelation.” Karliah drawled.

“Love you too, butch Britney Spears.” He shot back.

“Thanks, Twinkerbelle.” She winked, her signature grin plastered on her face.

~

Sam and Hanmi walked hand in hand towards their next class.

“Can we... Talk in private?” Sam asked suddenly, taking Hanmi by surprise.

“Sure, supply room?” Hanmi looked worried.

“Now?” Sam asked.

“If it's a short talk…” She checked her Hello Kitty watch. “We only have 7 minutes till class…”

“That's enough time, let's go.” He lead her by the hand down a corridor and into a small supply closet, turning on the light and closing the door carefully behind them. Hanmi wasted no time before launching into her pre-prepared speech,

“I completely understand if you want to stop this, I don't want to get you in trouble with your mate especially when I already have a pretty good idea of how badly he treats you anyway-”

“I-” Sam tried to interject but was taken over again.

“You're always covered in bruises and you seem so anxious all the time and I know you're kinda shy naturally like me but you are clearly SCARED and you have reason to be when you have scratch marks dotted all over among the bruises you try to hide!” She took in a huge breath and Sam used the time to butt in,

“That's not what I'm here to say.” he said, looking deep into her eyes. She stared at him, her mouth still hanging open from the giant breath,

“Oh.” she blinked.

“I want to know how far you're willing to go with this. I don't want to do something that you're not comfortable with.” Hanmi blushed,

“I don't…” she sighed. “I'm not sure... I guess I was hoping he would notice by now…” She folded her arms across her chest and looked away. “How far do you wanna go?”

“I honestly don't mind.” Sam was being honest, he would do whatever at this point. “My mate couldn't care less so I'll go as far as you're happy to.” He blushed a little too, rolling his eyes awkwardly. “Well... Except sex but I assumed that was obvious.”

“Yeah, I definitely wouldn't do that.” Hanmi laughed a little, showing her embarrassment on her face.

“I don't think I COULD do that,” Sam joked. “I am 100% sure of my sexuality and have never even considered girls in that's way. I would have no idea where to start…” They laughed, both smiling and red faced.

“So... We can kiss in front of him?” Hanmi asked.

“Sure.” 

“'Kay.” Hanmi whispered. They stared at each other, taking in every detail. Hanmi hadn’t noticed just how many freckles were sprinkled across Sam’s face, some so tiny they could only be seen up close; how light his blue eyes were, how smooth his skin was, how he didn’t have even a single piece of facial hair on his chin or jaw. Sam was scanning her just as curiously, taking in her immaculate straight bangs, her deep dark eyes, her pale skin and her small button nose. They locked eyes again, Sam leaned forward just a little, Hanmi pressed her forehead against his, Sam connected the tips of their noses, Hanmi sealed their lips. After the short kiss they looked at each other and then away, small smiles on red faces. 

Suddenly, the room brightened as the door swung open to reveal Damien standing in the doorway, he looked stern and indifferent, as though he were about to tell off two kids from his pack he didn't know well. 

“Class is starting, maybe you two should spend more time studying your books than each other's mouths.” His eye was twitching and he slammed the door back closed on them. Sam and Hanmi stared at each other for a few moments, shocked and unsure of how to proceed. They eventually slipped out and ran to their respective classes.

~

"Markus." A strained voice pulled Markus from his thoughts. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and snapped his locker shut. He took his time securing the lock before turning to appraise the beta behind him.

"What's up, Damien?" He looked Damien up and down, his fists were clenched, his eye was twitching and his wolf was sending out an agitated aura in waves. "You look... Pissed." Markus wondered if he had come to start a fight, he wasn't worried, he could kick any beta's backside at half-strength, but he was concerned that his friend was upset with him.

"That little freckled freak is your omega, isn't he?!" 

"I beg your pardon?" Markus had his wolf barely contained, snarling inside of him at the disrespect to his mate. He tried to feign confusion to deflect from answering.

"That LITTLE. FUCK-FACE. FRECKLE. FREAK is your omega." Damien hit each word hard. Markus was clawing at his wolf, desperately trying to keep him in check.

"My omega has a lot of freckles, yes." Markus raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "But... That's not really a reason to punish him..." You wish it was, his wolf whispered to him. 

"This isn't funny Markus!" He barked, "I caught him playing seven minutes in heaven with my mate in the supply closet!"

"He what?" Markus snarled, bringing his face almost as close to Damien's as Sam’s had been to Hanmi's. 

"He kissed my mate." Damien growled back. 

"You saw it?"

"I felt it." His fists were clenched again, "I followed the feeling and caught them red faced in the supply closet." He was breathing heavily, "I hope you understand why I'm coming to you about this." staring into Markus's eyes without blinking, "Right?" his skin appeared pale and clammy. 

"Of course, he will be punished." Markus assured. Damien visibly relaxed, almost smiling.

"Thanks, I knew you'd take this seriously."

"Absolutely, I wouldn't want my mate being kissed by someone that isn't me, I understand how you must feel." Damien nodded, gave him an awkward one-armed hug, and departed, striding down the hallway without looking back. Markus let his neutral mask drop and his face twist with anger. 

~

“Get in here.” Markus growled threateningly, his hand snapping out to grab Sam by the scruff of the neck, gripping onto the collar of his shirt. He dragged the smaller boy up the main stairs and into his bedroom before tossing him to the ground once he had the door closed and locked. Sam hit the floor on his knees and brought his hands down too late to catch himself, allowing searing pain to jolt through his kneecaps. He pulled himself onto all fours before putting a hand on Markus’ enormous bed to pull himself up. “What the hell are you playing at?” Markus stalked towards him, his muscles clenching under the skin of his neck. Sam backed up as far as he could until the backs of his knees hit the bed, normally he knew what to expect from Markus but this was different, and the unknown scared him. He put his small palms up defensively and looked up as his alpha reached him.

“Did you kiss her?!” Markus barked, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him up onto his toes.

“I-”

“Did. You. Kiss. Her?” He growled into Sam’s ear, using his alpha voice now, and the omega cringed away in pain. He had never had an alpha use their alpha voice on him in such close proximity, he feared he might vomit right there on Markus’s bed.

“Please, don’t.” He whimpered, pulling away from his master.

“Did you kiss her or not, you little shit?” Sam paused, lifted his head, looked his alpha dead in the eyes and said,

“Yeah, and she was better than you.” 

“I’m glad you think this is funny,” He snarled. “lets see how funny it is after I’ve washed your mouth out with soap.” 

“No! Don’t!” Sam cried, digging his heels into the carpet as Markus dragged him towards his en suite. “Let me go!” He wrapped his tiny hands around the alpha’s giant paws holding his collar captive. He dug his feet into the carpet, kicking and struggling against his hold. Markus jerked him forward roughly,

“Stop it.” he growled.

“Let me go!” His feet were bordering on becoming carpet-burnt as Markus got him to the door of his bathroom.

“I don’t want to taste some cheap whore’s saliva in your mouth.” He gave the omega a harsh shove, flinging him into the room.

“Then stay away from my mouth!” Sam snapped, spinning to glare at Markus.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you’re talking to,” The alpha descended on him, following him and forcing him to back up until his back hit the sink. “you think all of a sudden you can catch an attitude with me because you got some tail today from some itty bitty titty bitch?!” He shoved his face into Sam’s, growling menacingly.

“Don’t talk about my friend like that!” He whined, “She’s a good person.” he mumbled, feeling his courage rapidly leave his body. Markus pressed his body against him, grabbing his hair in one giant hand and spinning him to face the sink.

“A good person with her tongue in your mouth?”

“I didn’t say she made good decisions.” Sam murmured.

“Don’t be a smart mouth.” He pushed Sam’s head into the basin, gripping his hair tightly. Sam pressed his hands against the edge of the bowl, trying desperately to pull himself back and turn his body away. 

“Please, don’t.” He twisted his head, watching out of the corner of his eye as Markus used his free hand to grab a bar of soap. “Don’t!” He screamed, squirming as much as he could under the hold of Markus’ hand. “Pleaase.” He whined, using his submissive voice and baring his neck as best he could, trying to submit to him before it was too late. The soap approached his face and he whimpered, pushing his backside against the alpha. The soap dropped into the sink and Markus pulled his head back, nibbling on his neck roughly. Sam gasped, shivering and pushing back harder against him, trying to appeal to his mate’s urges. He felt Markus’ hands running up his body, ripping his shirt off and pinching at his skin hard enough to bruise. Sam whimpered, ignoring the pain and trying to play up his submissiveness. He twisted his body, standing on his toes and trying to push his face into Markus’ neck, sucking on his skin and making the cutest sounds he could fake, soft moans and sweet pants. Markus’ wolf was no longer radiating angry and threatening aura, he used the hand still in Sam’s hair to pull him up and crush his lips down onto the smaller boy’s, biting down on him till he squealed. He used his grip to push Sam down until he was eye-level with his crotch, he didn’t have to demand it, Sam knew what he wanted and didn’t bother to fight him, pulling down the fly and the alpha’s underwear. He pulled out the half-erect penis and began to suck on the end. Markus directed him, bringing him down to the base and back up, gently at first and then rougher. He grunted as his dick began to drip pre-cum onto Sam’s tongue, his thrusts becoming more and more vicious. Sam braced his hands against Markus’ thighs, trying to give himself some breathing room, but the alpha continued to jerk his head down harder and harder, pushing deeper and deeper down his throat. Sam began to gag, his eyes watering, scrambling to pull back but Markus ignored him, pulling his head down twice more before coming into his mouth, holding his head like a vice for an extra second to fully unload into him. When he finally released the omega’s head, he jerked back, coughing and retching with tears streaming down his cheeks. He spat the semen out onto the tiled floor before glaring up at Markus accusingly,

“I hate you.” he whispered, his bottom lip trembling.

“Good.” Markus grunted, doing up his trousers. “Clean this up.” He ordered, striding out, through his bedroom and out to the rest of the house, trying to hide how much it hurt to hear hit mate tell him that.

Sam sat for a moment, sniffing and wiping at his face. He had already decided he wouldn’t tell Hanmi, she didn’t need the added stress.

~

“You serious about this girl?” Alexa asked, she was a new member of Karliah’s pack but they had become fast friends, they were both laid-back, blonde dominants and they shared a love for the same sports. Alexa had started at the academy only two days earlier as she had been settling into her new pack the fortnight before.

“When she blinks I hear ‘plink plink’ sound effects in my head.” Karliah groaned, leaning back in her office chair with her hands clasping the top of her head.

“Damn son, you got it bad.” Her friend chuckled.

“Tell me about it…”

“So… Why haven’t I received an invite to your bonding ceremony then? I don’t even know her name - I thought we were friends!” She teased, winking at the alpha from the bean bag chair she was sprawled across on the other side of the room.

“Because…” Karliah sighed. “I keep blowing it.”

“How come?” 

“I can never get the timing right, you know? It’s like first I’m going too quickly and have my hand in her pants and she seems okay with it but then she freaks and then I try to back off but I give her the wrong impression and I think she thinks I’m mad at her but then I seem to go back in full speed again and I just can’t seem to take it slow without avoiding her,” Karliah knew she was rambling but she didn’t care, she was tired of holding in her feelings. “when I’m physically near her I just want to touch every inch of her!” She growled in frustration and began to angrily untie her plaits, letting her hair fall to her chest in waves with every strand she released.

“Well, fuck.” Alexa grunted, pushing herself up to pull a face at Karliah.

“That’s great, fantastic advice.” The alpha huffed.

“Sorry, I can’t relate - I still haven’t met my mate! Well, I’m assuming I haven’t…” She shrugged, she wasn’t worried about finding her mate, her parents hadn’t met until they were late into their twenties and they still felt the pull just as strongly. “I thought eye contact was enough…” 

“We’ve made eye contact, we’ve touched, we’ve kissed…” Karliah finished pulling apart her left braid and started on her right.

“Has she seen or heard you in wolf form?” Alexa offered.

“I prefer my human form…” She mumbled, she had told Alexa she was trans only very recently, it seemed that she was becoming more and more open about herself with people… With every person she told it became easier to tell the next person, especially after she had told Cassie, seeing how her mate barely reacted to her deepest secret had been such a relief.

“Fair enough, but it is known as a trigger.”

“I don’t think finding the right trigger is the solution… I think she is under some kind of stress or something…” Karliah dropped her hands, letting her now-free hair sit limply, her scalp throbbing slightly at the release.

“Does she seem stressed?”

“Sometimes… She’s very back and forth, you know? One day I feel like we are really getting along and that she really likes me… And then the next day she is shifty and nervous and sometimes she seems genuinely angry at me!” Karliah stood and walked around her large wooden desk, resting back against it to face Alexa. “I can’t keep up.”

“Is she having, like, trouble at home?” Alexa stretched her toned body out like a cat over the bean bag, Karliah watched her, wondering what subs saw in their bodies… She liked her girls soft…

“I don’t think so… But I think I’ll see if I can speak to Sam in private about it just in case.”

“Sam is the…” Alexa trailed off awkwardly, she hadn’t come from a pack with an omega but knew, from what Karliah had told her, that Sam was the omega of Markus’ pack.

“Omega.” Karliah finished for her.

“Yeah. Sorry.” She mumbled.

“It’s not a derogatory term, you would call me an alpha.”

“I know… I just feel like it comes across as rude…” She explained, adding, “People do use it as an insult.” with a sheepish expression.

“Then the way to remove the negative connotations would be to use it for its intended purpose.” 

“Ugh, I hate when you go all ‘good alpha leader’ mode.” Alexa laughed, sticking her tongue out at her soon-to-be alpha.

“Sorry, can’t help it.” Karliah grinned.

“I can’t believe you’ll be like that all the time some day.” Alexa teased, standing and stretching her long, muscled torso, her top riding up to show her midriff.

“I’ll still be fun when I’m alpha!” 

“You’d better not forget who your real friends are once you become our great and omnipotent ruler!” She added, joining Karliah leaning back against the desk.

“Shut up.” The alpha gave her a shove as she laughed.

~

Another week had gone by and Karliah continued to join them during breaks, no one thought twice about her following them into whichever classroom they picked to eat in. On this particular day, Jasper laid back on a free table, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Sometimes I worry that I’ll never find my mate…” He announced, never taking his eyes off the tiles above him.

“It’s been… What? three months? Wait your time, dude.” Karliah chastised, leaning over to flick his forehead with her long fingers, he still didn’t look over. She was sat on the table beside his, mowing through another salad.

“Don’t you ever have times when you just feel really low though? I know I’ll feel better later but sometimes I just can’t help over-thinking it.” Jasper pouted as he spoke, pulling his arms behind his head.

“I get that… I used to get the same feelings…” The subs in the room all looked at her curiously. Aminali visibly perking up at the thought of gossip,

“You’ve met your mate?” she asked, temporarily forgetting her own lunch: an enormous, over-stuffed burrito.

“Yeah.” The alpha didn’t want to make a big deal, shrugging and taking another bite of mixed leaves.

“You’re not gonna tell us who?” Asked Aminali, barely able to contain her excitement.

“They don’t know yet… So I don’t wanna talk about it…” Karliah shrugged, looking away. “Bad luck, y’know?” Cassie nodded, adding,

“You want them to find out naturally.” with a small smile on her face. Karliah grinned, trying her hardest not to laugh at her mate being so understanding of her circumstances, despite being her mate and causing those circumstances.

“Yeah.” Sam smiled at Karliah, watching her under his lashes, they shared a look for a moment before both looking away. He knew. Karliah was sure of it. Aminali kept trying,

“But can I just-” she was cut off by Sam, 

“Mina, leave it.” his soft voice was stern.

“Okay, Okay.” She conceded.

“What if my mate is feeling the same way?” Jasper whinged, rolling over to look at her.

“The same as you or the same as me?” Asked Karliah.

“You. What if they see me every day and think ‘why is he such a moron?’ when I don’t recognise them?”

“They wouldn’t think that, trust me.” She reassured.

“But-” 

“I have never once thought my mate is unintelligent for not being able to feel our connection.” Karliah was serious as she spoke, holding eye contact with him. “Instead, I worry about them incessantly because the only documented reasons I’ve been able to find that a mate wouldn’t be able to sense their mate are extreme levels of any combination of stress, fatigue, depression or fear.” You could have heard a pin drop in the room, they all listened intently as Karliah spoke. She knew if Alexa were there she would have called it her ‘good alpha leader mode’, but it was necessary for her to drive the point home, not just to Jasper. “Since meeting my mate I’ve read everything I can and asked the elders in my pack for any rumours or old wives’ tales they know of. I can promise you, if there’s a reason that you haven’t connected with your mate despite meeting them, it’s one of those.” 

“So…” Jasper pulled a face, “The best thing I can do is to chill out?” he didn’t look pleased. Karliah nodded,

“Exactly.” she agreed. Jasper sighed dramatically.

“But that’s so hard when you are worrying about finding your mate!”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you - stop worrying about finding your mate, get lots of sleep, drink water and just generally take good care of yourself.” She waved her fork in his general direction as she spoke.

“That sounds haaaaard…” Jasper moaned, pulling himself up and slumping forward with his face in his hands.

“I’ll give it a go too!” Aminali chimed in, “We can do it together and find our mates together and have bonding ceremonies on the same day and have babies at the same time and-” Jasper cut her off,

“Okay! I’m convinced!” he laughed. “Let’s do it, Cassie, you in?” Karliah was so glad to hear him say that, having hoped the notion would catch on, she thanked Aminali and Jasper in her head and made a note that she owed them one. She hoped that Cassie could rid herself of whatever stress or fear was holding her wolf hostage. Little did she know that Sam was thinking the same thing, hoping that Cassie could use this as an excuse to release the stress from Brandon.

“Sure, it can’t hurt.” Cassie smiled sadly, having made the link between Brandon and her stress levels some time ago, she wondered if Sam had been right about Brandon being her mate back all those weeks ago. Maybe it was all her fault that he was being nasty and cruel to her, because the stress and fear were holding her wolf back. “We should all do it and just try to take better care of ourselves.” Jasper burst out into song,

“We’re all in this together!” he did a little wiggle-dance on the table and began to stuff his face.

~

“What we know about vampires - and I don’t mean rumours, hard facts only, could not fill a shot glass.” Mumbled agreements ran through the crowd, accompanied by nods from the older members of the pack. “Therefore, the council have been looking into making alliances within the vampire community.” The alpha cleared his throat. “Our biggest problem being that vampires don’t link their clans like we do our packs, they form and break and switch from place to place as they please.” A few wolves grumbled something about ‘loyalty’ in the pause for breath. “Therefore, we have no idea just how many clans there are or how big they are, we don’t even know if they follow the same rules from one clan to the next.” Cassie wondered just where he was going with this. “So, after a few months of arranging with what we think are some of the larger clans, the council has arranged for a small group of representatives from each clan to stay with a pack for a few month-” The pack erupted with gasps and whispering, “Quiet.” one word, but in alpha-voice it could be felt through the hall and in the bodies of all 200+ pack members. Sam winced and Cassie gave him a tight, apologetic smile. She wanted to hug him but knew she would have to wait for the effect of the alpha voice to wear off first or it might make him feel queasy. “Then, once they have stayed with a pack for a few months, assuming there have been no problems, a small group of wolves from each of the packs picked will then follow the vampires back and spend a few months with their clan.” The excitement in the room could be felt, tingling across the skin of every wolf there. The alpha grinned, waiting for a few moments. “But,” tension filled the now silent room. “That isn’t the most exciting part.” Cassie took a sharp breath. “The council has picked Scarlett Moon-” Loud gasps, wide eyes and swivelling heads spread through the room like an infectious disease. This time the alpha let them have a few minutes to take it in, standing slightly taller thanks to the pride that had filled him from his toes to the top of his head. He watched them react with his smile still holding, he was clearly enjoying the moment rather a lot. Cassie grinned at Sam, she didn’t know anyone who had even met a vampire before, and now they were coming to stay in their home! Sam, being the omega, would get to see their rooms and all kinds of personal stuff. Cassie felt guilty for thinking it but she couldn’t wait to hear all about it from her best friend. “Now,” The alpha continued, “the entire pack better be on its best behaviour, and I mean that. So help me Goddess if any of you fuck around while they’re here.” His smile dropped now, watching them all carefully. He didn’t usually swear during pack meetings, on account of the children, but this was a huge responsibility they had been handed by the council and if they messed it up… Huge embarrassment for all of them.”I will release the details in the next meeting, my beta will inform you all of when that will be and we can begin preparing from then. For now, you are dismissed.” They nodded as a collective group and began to siphon out in small clumps.

~

"Alpha and Omega." Mr Dale announced. Every student except the two omegas in the room perked up, the two little ones blushed and hid their faces behind their hands. "Now, while this is a topic I wish you kids learned about a lot earlier since some of you seem to still have some prejudice towards omegas, to explain how everything... Works," the few people in the room who already knew what was coming either giggled or blushed. "so therefore I need you all to act your age and be the mature young adults I know you are." He gave a firm look to them all, locking eyes with the doms in particular. He divided the whiteboard into two columns by drawing a black line down the centre, "We shall start with Alphas since there isn't as much I need to teach you about them." he wrote 'Alpha' in one column, the students copied his table into their notebooks. "We are simply going to use this table to break down all the things that set alphas and omegas apart from those of us that are... Not so special." He winked at the class before continuing, "What makes an alpha an alpha?” most of the class raised their hands with an answer. He pointed at people quickly, writing down their answers as he went.

“They’re bigger.”

“Faster.”

“Alpha voice.”

“They’re Stronger.”

Hands disappeared quickly with the most obvious answers having been called out.

“Come on, there are two more things that set them apart.” Mr Dale hinted, waving his pen around. “One of these has to do with babies?” A few of the less mature students ‘eww’d’ while Karliah and Markus relented, raising their hands politely. “Yes, Miss Stone?”

“Alphas have a higher fertility rate, they conceive very easily and often.”

“Yes! It is actually quite rare for Alphas to have just one child, you are quite the anomaly, Markus.” He scrawled it onto the board, the alpha in question rolled his eyes, he had heard this a lot of times growing up, he had always wanted little brothers but his father seemed more interested in pack business than anything else. Cassie, like most of the subs in their pack, had no idea that it was weird for Markus to be an only child, she couldn’t help her mind wandering to Karliah and how many siblings she had, imagining a whole litter of baby Karliahs.“The last item on our menu here is that Alphas have heightened senses, both in the physical meaning and the mental, their wolves can sense problems and emotions at a much stronger and wider level, making them great leaders and trackers for their packs.”

"Now, for the main event - Omega." He now added 'Omega' to the other side of the table. “We have two with us today so let’s keep this respectful, please.” He gave the alphas in the room a few seconds of stern eye contact each. “Now, who can start me off with what they know?” There were a lot less hands up than there had been at the start of the alpha list. Mr Dale pointed at each of the three volunteers in turn, writing down their answers as they gave them.

“They’re smaller.”

“Uh, shorter? I don’t know if that comes under smaller…” Mr Dale waved him off and added it to the list.

“They’re weaker.” 

“Okay, no one else?” Mr Dale gave them a few moments in case anyone changed their mind before beginning his lecture. “Well, I suppose that’s why I’m teaching you guys this, because these aren’t things that are always discussed with non-omegas. So the next thing I want you to add to your lists is ‘alpha voice effect’.” A few people looked around at each other, looking confused. “Many of you may not know this, but when an alpha uses their ‘alpha voice’ it doesn’t just silence omegas like it would you or I, it brings out symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. In fact, it is thought that if alpha voice is used too strongly and too close to an omega, they may lose consciousness. So please note that omegas are far more sensitive to alpha voice than the common wolf.” He added it to his own list but didn’t stop speaking, “Next, I’m sure a lot of you have probably noticed this but are either too embarrassed or too self-conscious to admit it, but omegas have a different smell to regular wolves, a very sweet smell.” None of the students wanted to look at each other now. “The hormone that is released is not just created by an omega’s body to save them money on perfume, it is one of their body’s natural defences: it makes them seem innocent, no threat to us, and this would protect an omega wolf in the wild, it’s also the same reason they’re so darn cute!” Sam and the other omega in the room stared down at their desks as their faces filled with colour. “Now, this next item on our lists is one that is already on the board, but on the alpha’s side of the table, can anyone tell me which of the alpha traits we can copy to our omega list?” No one raised their hand. Mr Dale sighed, “Omegas are also super fertile.” There was a whispered comment from a dominant at the back of the room that Sam wished he hadn’t heard, “I hope you didn’t just say what I think you did, Thompson.”

“No, sir.”

“If I hear another sound from you you can spend the rest of the lesson with the head teacher, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, our final area to cover is the one that I need you all to be mature about.” Sam and the omega winced, knowing exactly what was coming. Mr Dale wrote ‘heat’ as the last item on the list, capped his pen and turned to watch the class as he spoke, scanning them carefully. “Heat, a very natural and normal process that Omega’s of reproductive age go through.” The majority of the class clearly had no idea what he was talking about as they perked up and listened with rapt attention. “It does not come regularly like menstruation but rather at random, some omega are unlucky and go into heat so often they must take medication to subdue their symptoms. But that is only used for the more extreme cases, most omega simply have their heat and move on when it is over.” Sam hid his face under his arms on the desk. “Heat is a process in which an omegas body spends approximately a day and a night taken over by their wolf when their wolf wishes for them to become pregnant.” Sam didn’t have to look up to know that many of his classmates were flicking their heads back and forth looking at each other in that way that says ‘Can you believe this? That’s so weird!’. He didn’t want to know how many were looking at him, curious about his body’s functions. “The wolf takes over during this time and causes symptoms to,” He paused, trying to come up with the least crude way of explaining it. “help aid the omega in becoming… fertilised.” Eyes widened from one end of the classroom to the other dominants and submissives alike. “These symptoms include the release of a hormone, similar to the one we mentioned earlier, but far more potent, if you get caught by this scent you will have trouble staying away from the omega releasing it, which is why omega in heat stay away from the rest of the pack during that time. Other symptoms are fever, hypersensitivity, lack of hunger and release of lubrication.” There were gasps and snorts around the room. Mr Dale sighed, folded his arms across his chest and gave each of the offenders a stern look, he knew that part would incite a reaction, it always did. “Now, if an omega you know does go into heat I would suggest the following:” He returned to the board to write as he spoke. “before they have been taken over fully by their heat, try to help them get to a safe space, somewhere they will be left alone, give them water, blankets and a clean set of clothes. After they are in full heat, leave them alone. I’m serious, if you get too close to an omega in heat you will end up - and I’m talking mostly to those with penises now - a father before you’re ready. It doesn’t matter if they’re not your type, if they’re straight and you’re gay, if you are single or taken, no one can resist an omega in heat.”

~

After class, Cassie managed to catch Karliah before she got too far towards her next class.

“Hey.” She breathed.

“Hey.” Karliah smiled, it always made Cassie’s heart ache a little to see how happy the alpha always was to see her. “What’s up?”

“You know what Mr Dale said about alphas?” She asked.

“Uh, I’m very curious to see where this is going.” Karliah already looked incredibly uncomfortable, glancing around to see if anyone was listening in.

“About babies.” Cassie clarified.

“Right.” Karliah still looked confused so Cassie didn't wait to continue.

“Is it that weird for Markus to be an only child?” The relief on Karliah’s face could have been seen from the cafeteria. 

“I mean, he’s the only alpha single child I’ve ever met.” She shrugged.

“How many siblings do you have?”

“Four.”

“Woah! How old are they?” The corridors were clearing and teachers that passed by were giving them pointed looks to get on with wherever they were going. Karliah glanced around before starting to back away in the direction of her class.

“Youngest is two, oldest is ten, what about you?” Cassie began backing up too in the opposite directions, mirroring Karliah’s grin.

“None, I’m an only child.” She gave a sad shrug.

“That’s okay, you can have the twins for a day and it’ll put you right off ever wanting siblings.” Karliah winked, waved and turned to jog through the door of her next lesson. Cassie scraped into class without being late enough to get in trouble and sat down next to Sam. Twins, she thought, I hope she really does let me meet them.

~

In a follow up pack meeting, Cassie and Sam’s alpha announced that the vampires would arrive in less than two weeks.


	22. CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

“Did you really mean it when you said I could meet your siblings?” Cassie asked, leaning her head against her locker.

“Of course! I’d love that.” Karliah smiled softly, leaning back against the locker beside hers.

“What are their names and ages?”

“The oldest is ten and his name is Hank, but we call him Tank because he’s already wider than he is tall.” She laughed quietly to herself before continuing, “Next are the twins, they’re four, Maya and Sadie. The youngest is Jay, he’s two.” she loved her siblings to the moon and back and talking about them made her miss them, the older three went to human school and the youngest stayed at home with her mother or one of the pack’s childminders.

“Wow, there’s a big age difference between both you and Hank and Hank and the twins!” Cassie commented.

“Yeah, my parents always claim they use birth control but I guess they’re getting worse and worse at remembering…” Karliah joked, rolling her eyes.

“Do you think they’ll have more then?”

“I’m not sure, my mum is enjoying the horror of toddlers right now so I think that’s enough to put her off for a while and my dad always says that once they get old enough that she is getting baby-fever again, she’ll be ‘too preoccupied with grand-babies to want more of her own’.” She pulled an awkward face, “But I doubt I’ll be wanting kids that soon…” she didn’t know if that was a lie or not, she told herself that she wanted to wait till she was older, more mature and responsible, but when she looked at Cassie, she felt something inside of her, a part of her that wanted nothing more than to see Cassie pregnant, heavily so. She wondered if that was creepy… Or maybe it was normal when it was your mate…

“I mean, if what I’m finding out about alphas is true, you might not get a choice!” Cassie teased, poking her tongue out.

“They do say that the majority of alpha’s kids are accidental.” Karliah laughed, playing with a plait absent-mindedly.

“Do you want kids though?” Cassie asked.

“Of course! I have to continue my family line. Plus, I want to see mini-versions of my mate running around someday…” She imagined tiny, chubby tots running wild with long curly tresses bouncing around them and that feeling inside of her got a bit stronger for a moment.

“So you want more than one, then?”

“Definitely. What about you?” She tried not to seem pushy, but she was praying in her head that Cassie wouldn’t scoff at the thought of having children, she wanted a whole litter and she would need her mate to have them.

“I’m not sure…” Cassie shrugged, Karliah held her breath for a moment, watching her carefully.“I would like at least one but I don’t have a clue what my end goal would be!” She tucked a stray curl behind her ear cutely. “What is your minimum?”

“I mean, I feel embarrassed now that you’ve said yours is one…” Karliah laughed awkwardly, “I was thinking at least three but with six or seven being my ideal amount.” she hoped she hadn’t scared her off.

“SEVEN?!” Cassie’s eyes were wide as she ran a hand through her hair. “Good luck finding a girl stupid enough to carry all those kids!” Karliah tried not to look too hurt,

“Thanks.” she huffed. Cassie brought her voice down low,

“Speaking of which, won’t your pack work out… stuff… if your mate gets pregnant?” she leant in closer, “That’s assuming your mate even has the right parts!” she added.

“She does.” Karliah grumbled, folding her arms across her chest sulkily.

“Right, I forgot you’d found yours.” She sounded just a tad jealous, Karliah had to fight a smile.

“And I don’t care if my pack find out, my mate and our children are far more important. Plus, once I’ve marked my mate I’ll get to start my training to be the next alpha of my pack - and then what can they say? I won’t allow transphobia in my pack when I’m in charge.”

“You’re so lucky, you get to make a difference.” Cassie sighed.

“You make a difference, Cassie. You have a voice.”

“When I say something, demand for something, BEG for something, the chances of me getting PERMISSION to make a change are so low it feels like it’s not worth trying.”

“But-”

“You don’t know what it’s like to be second-class, Karliah.” She tried not to sound angry, to keep her voice fair and even, she wasn’t angry with Karliah, but at their society. “You don’t know what it’s like to have to get clearance to do things that dominants can just do without hesitation. Subs in my pack can’t leave our territory until we’re teenagers! And for omegas it’s even worse, Sam rarely sees the light of day, he’s either cooped up in the pack house or in school at all times.” She lowered her voice to barely a whisper, “Please don’t think that I’m trying to downplay the hardships you face with being trans, I just envy the fact that you can do something to end the stigma, you are listened to and acknowledged, subs aren’t.” she watched Karliah’s expression, she didn’t want to annoy her or upset her but Cassie did not take injustice lightly, it pretty much fuelled her with furious energy day-to-day.

“I’m sorry, Cas-” Karliah reached out to grab her hands, looking worried.

“Please don’t apologise,” Cassie squeezed her hands lightly and gave her a sad smile. “it’s not your fault. I’m not mad at you, I just got riled up thinking about it, I’m sorry if it seemed like I was taking away from your own struggles.”

“Not at all. I want to help, use my power for good and all that.” Karliah smiled sadly, Cassie pulled an awkward face, unsure of what to say.

“Thanks.”

“You know, though, alpha females have power. You never know, you might have an alpha as your mate…” Karliah hinted, wondering if she was toeing the line just a bit too closely.

“That’s true, but some alphas are pigs.” Cassie grumbled, “No offence.” she added. “But some just have their sub as arm candy and don’t care about any other subs in their pack - only the one in their bed.”

“True,” Karliah agreed. “but I’m sure you’ll keep your mate in line. You’re not the kind of kid who lets someone walk all over them.” Cassie felt her heart flutter a little at the cheeky grin on Karliah’s face, every time it reappeared it still took her by surprise, she loved seeing it. She beamed back proudly,

“Like my momma always said - I may not win the fight but I’m damn well gonna fight!” she announced, hands on her hips.

“Very true.” Karliah’s grin turned salacious and she looked the smaller girl up and down, leaning out to take a peak at her backside. Cassie blushed,

“Shut up!” she knew that the alpha was thinking of their first meeting: the desk incident.

“What?” Karliah played dumb but her face betrayed her.

“I know exactly what you’re reminiscing about and don’t!” She ordered, her face burning.

“I can reminisce about whatever I want… Right now I’m remembering your soft, red butt!”

“Stop!” Cassie whined.

“Now I’m thinking about those cute panties you wore in the classroom the other day…” Karliah teased, bringing their faces close.

“Stop! You’re awful!” Cassie stood on her toes, bringing their noses together.

“You love it!”

“I’m leaving!” Cassie stuck her tongue out, spun on the spot and stalked away.

“I hate to see you leave but I love to watch you walk away!” She sang, loud enough for everyone in the corridor and the adjoining ones could hear.

“Oh my god.” Cassie hid her face in her top, scuffling to class and trying her best not to make eye-contact with anyone on the way.

~

"I wanna knooooow what love issss," Jasper bellowed mournfully, his arms outstretched like Julia Whatserface in The Sound Of Music. "I want you to shoooow meeee!" Karliah slapped him on the backside and squeezed the cheek in her palm. He jumped half a foot in the air and turned to give her a dirty look.

"There you go." She grinned. "Isn't love beautiful?" He stuck his tongue out before changing his plan and taking a running leap at the alpha, she caught him with a groan and heaved him up so that they were face to face, Jasper wrapped his legs around her waist. "What in the Goddess' name are you doing?"

"Putting on a show." He smiled sweetly before draping an arm around her neck and taking a deep breath. "HARDER! SPANK ME HARDER! YES!-" He screamed.

"What the hell are you-" She removed her hands from him, raising them to show any eye witness that happened to walk in that she was not touching him.

"FUCK ME! KARLIAH-" He called, deliberately trying to attract the attention of anyone passing by the closed door.

"Don't you scream my name." She growled into his ear. He rocked his hips back and forth, pulling the most debauched face he could muster.

"KARLIAH! OH HARDER, KARLIAH!" He was struggling to hold his laughter in, her stern face tickling something in him.

"I'm serious, don't start what you can't finish." She gave him to the count of three inside of her head. When she reached three he was still moaning and calling out her name. She turned and carried him to the closest wall, only she didn't stop when she got there, she slammed him against it, using her body to pin him, every part of their torsos touching. Jasper looked shocked for only a moment,

"You want me that bad?" he teased. She smirked back at him, bringing up one hand, sliding it between their bodies and ripping his top clean off his body. Jasper froze. He raised his gaze slowly, watching her expression carefully.

"Do you know what I want?" She leant in, close enough for her lips to touch his ear and her neck to rub against his, leaving her scent behind. He didn't answer. "I want to be there when your mate finds you, I want to see their expression when they slowly notice my scent clinging to you, my bruises marking you and my clothes on your back." She gently rubbed her scent on to him, waiting for him to cave. Jasper swallowed,

"That's okay, I think you've shown me what love is," he took a deep breath, "love is the feeling of wanting to be pu-"

"Cut the cheesy shit, I know you don't believe it." Karliah rolled her eyes and he grinned back.

"Oh, thank Goddess. I had no idea where I was going with that!"

"I thought as much, you are an A+ bullshitter though."

"Thank you, I majored bullshit but minored in sarcasm." They shared a grin, "Does this mean you really think I'm gonna meet my mate today? Just out of nowhere?"

"Sod's law says that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. So by scent marking you I've already upped your chances of meeting your one true love by at least 50%."

"Yes!" He fist pumped.

"But," she countered, " a watched pot never boils."

"So?"

"So by incessantly trying to predict your mate's arrival into your life you are making the journey much longer for yourself. They'll find you, stop worrying."

"M'kay." He grumbled." Now get off me, I'm cold!”

"Aaaw." She cooed, "I'll keep you warm baby." She pressed herself against him tightly, squeezing the life out of him and making sure to leave him stinking of her.

"Stoooop!" He whined, "You're squishing me!"

"You deserve it,"

"Well, I also stink like stupid alpha and have no shirt to wear!"

"I told you, I'll give you something of mine."

"OOH, I can't wait to see Cassie's face when she smells your scent on me, spots your marks on me and sees me with your clothes. On. My. Back." He grinned triumphantly and she gave him a glare, trying to hide her fear. How did he know? She figured Sam knew but he would never tell, this kid would though - he would tell every living being he came into contact with if he could. And what about Cassie? What if she thought they really had been intimate? She was only messing around... It was just a game... She pressed her nose to his,

“Tell anyone and I will kick your butt.” She didn’t want to be a dick but there was no way she’d let someone ruin the moment Cassie realised they were mates, no matter how much she cared for them. He nodded stiffly, staring into her eyes. “I’m serious Jace, not even Aminali.” He nodded again.

~

One week till the vampires were due to arrive and Sam was being worked like a pack mule, cleaning and shifting rubbish from every room in the house. Everyone seemed very agitated and anxious to make the house spotless but clearly not enough so that they thought to actually pick up a broom themselves. Sam did his best, avoiding verbal abuse and the occasional swing, mopping and dusting and polishing.

~

“Ladies and Sam.” Aminali announced loudly, bursting into the classroom with a loud clatter and a swoop of her arms. Jasper pulled a face,

“Fuck off!” he called.

“And ingrates!” She added.

“Mina…” Said Cassie warningly.

“As the self-designated snoop of our friend group I am pleased to announce a nugget of gossip I stole from the teacher’s lounge!”

“Please let this be PG…” Cassie mumbled.

“Please let this be dirty…” Jasper spoke at the same time, pressing his hands together in prayer.

“The Academy are putting on a dance!” Aminali grinned around, waiting for reactions to her news. Karliah looked at her curiously,  
  
“A what?” she asked.

“You know, music, dresses, punch?” Aminali waggled her eyebrows as she listed the items.

“Do you mean the end of year ball?” Cassie interjected. Aminali shook her head,

“Nope! They are putting on a second event to raise money for some charity or something!” she explained with a shrug. Jasper snorted,

“Good to know our resident snoop doesn’t let any piece of information get past her…” he teased.

“Is the name of the charity really what matters here?” Aminali stuck her tongue out cheekily. “I get to be a motherfuckin’ princess for a day!” She announced grandly, posing dramatically. Sam couldn’t help but think about how this would be another event he would be left out of. He would have to get permission from either Markus or his dad to be allowed to go in the first place, then he would be tagging along with his friends, probably being a burden on them, he would have nothing to wear, he would have to get a lift there and back with Cassie…

“Do we… Have to wear dresses?” Karliah asked, looking around for a general consensus. “They’re not exactly my thing…” Jasper was quick to chime in,

“We had noticed you dress like a 2002 body builder in ‘casual clothes’.” he snorted at his own joke loudly.

“And I’m supposed to take fashion insults from the anime schoolgirl?” She clapped back with a half-grin sitting on her face. “I’ll bet any money you wear girl’s underwear.” Jasper blushed beetroot.

“I’ll bet any money you don’t wear girl’s underwear!” He snapped.

“Really?” Cassie rolled her eyes at them. “Can you two just behave please?”

“Anyway, back to the important stuff!” Aminali cut in, “How should I style my hair?” She flipped her box braids from one side to the other, flapping her lashes at them all.

“That’s important?” Karliah asked, looking to the other’s to see if she was joking.

“Baby, do you have any idea how long it takes just to take braids out?” Aminali looked at her incredulously, “A visit to the hairdressers for me is a day trip! I bring breakfast, lunch and dinner with me!” The others just nodded, Jasper the most vigorously, having spent the day in the salon with her before - he had not been happy when she took them out after ‘only’ six weeks.

“Right…” Karliah tried again. “But who are we impressing at this dance?”

“Dressing up isn’t about other people!” Jasper defended.

“Since when?” Karliah asked, half joking. She enjoyed winding up the small male sub.

“It’s about looking nice for yourself!” Aminali added, swinging her hair to the other side again.

“But-” Karliah tried again but much to her amusement one of the subs interrupted her again.

“Because when you know you look fine, you feel fine!” Jasper called out, striking his own pose now with one hand on his hip and one behind his head. Karliah almost enjoyed that these subs didn’t feel the need to allow her to speak, she wasn’t used to being interrupted and spoken down to by subs, there weren’t even that many doms that would try it with her.

“And I look fine all the damn time!” Aminali moved up next to him, copying his pose and grinning at him.

“It’s true, that’s why she’s always in a good mood.” He added.

  
“Am I- Are you done?” Karliah laughed. Subs are so odd, she thought.

“Go ahead.” Jasper waved his hand at her like a prince gesturing to a servant.

“So what level of formality are we talking here?” Karliah shifted, trying to hide her concern. “Did they say anything about a dress code?” She didn’t want to be forced into a dress. As much as she liked feminine clothes, she just wasn’t a dress type of girl. She hoped Cassie would wear a dress though, something adorable and sweet.

“They didn’t say anything specific but I’m assuming formal, they’re gonna announce it tomorrow morning to everyone so we’ll find out then.”  
  
The next morning there was an assembly held with the whole school present, it was announced that it would be held on the Friday of the first week back after the winter break. Winter break would start in two weeks.

~

The Saturday before the last week of the winter term started with every member of Cassie’s pack anxiously bustling back and forth, making last minute preparations for the vampires arrival. Sam was being dragged from pillar to post helping with cleaning, tidying and organising. The beta of the pack was attempting to corral every other member into the main hall so that they wouldn’t avalanche on the guests when they arrived.

Cassie was pretty disappointed when did, for one because she didn’t get to meet any personally and two because they were in the door and escorted away so quickly she barely got to even see them. There were only five of them and after being paraded around in front of the pack in the main hall the alpha showed them to their rooms to get settled in. They were placed in the east wing that had remained unused for years. They had been warned not to bother them and that any idiotic behaviour would not go unpunished. As quickly as they had come in, they were gone again and everyone had been sent back to their daily lives.

Of the five vampires three were male, two female, all looked young, between twenty-five and thirty-five. They had given their names and said they were excited to meet the pack but other than that Cassie felt just as clueless as before.

~

It had been a couple of days since the vampires had arrived and Sam didn’t know how much longer he could take all the extra chores he had been given, with school on top he was ready to doze off at any given moment. He was washing what seemed like an endless pile of dishes when there was a soft knock at the open kitchen door, Sam froze, he hadn’t heard any footsteps, he turned slowly and was surprised to see one of the vampire representatives standing in the doorway holding an old book. He was tall for a human and had sandy hair cut short that almost matched his light brown eyes.

“Do you mind if I take solace in here?” Sam blushed slightly, he didn’t know exactly why… Probably because the man was so ridiculously good-looking.

“N-no, sir.” He wanted to say something else but he didn’t know what, he just wanted to talk… Sometimes he got so lonely doing his chores he wondered what the point of it all was; if this was going to be his existence forever, what was the point in getting an education? Why did the Goddess give him a mate? Why bring him into existence if only to let him wallow in other people’s rooms by himself forever? Sometimes he felt that without Cassie he would have walked into the forest naked years ago and let nature take him, either from cold or starvation, whichever came first. He knew he shouldn’t think like that - what would Cassie think if she knew? The thoughts always crept back though, like spiders running across his brain, itching and uncomfortable; especially when he thought of Cassie finding her mate, he would be happy for her, of course, but as selfish as it was, he couldn’t help but think of how he would cope without her…

“Thanks.” The word shook him from his thoughts like an earthquake. How long had he been staring at that chunk of brick wall slightly to the right of handsome man’s face? He nodded awkwardly and turned back to the sink of dishes he was cleaning. He heard one of the breakfast bar stools scrape on the tiled floor as the vampire made himself comfortable with his ratty old tome. For the next hour the handsome man sat and read his book, the only sounds in the room being the turning of pages, the clinking of plates, splashes of water and soft breathing. Sam kept his eyes on his work, quickly drifting off into his own thoughts thanks to the man’s relaxed aura and calming energy.

~

When Cassie breezed into the kitchen, ready to gossip with Sam about their new friends staying in the abandoned wing, he was down to his last few cups and would soon start preparing lunch while he let the wet crockery drain on racks beside the sink. At the sight of the vampire sitting on one of the bar stools she stopped,

“Hi there!” she hung from the doorway curiously.

“Good afternoon.” He nodded to her pleasantly, holding his page with his two of his long pale fingers.

“Don’t suppose Sam introduced himself?” She teased. She knew he would never start a conversation with someone that wasn’t her or a member of their friend group, it was ingrained into omegas to be shy and submissive and to not bother anyone. Omegas do not speak unless spoken to.

“If you mean my hard-working friend here, then no.” He smiled gently in Sam’s direction. “A tad shy, isn’t he?” Sam glanced over his shoulder sneakily, got caught, and snapped his head back to the sink.

“Well… I’m Cassie, the tall one.” Both Sam and his mystery man snorted, “All right, leave it out! It’s not often I get to say that!” They both grinned at her, Sam turning back to the dishes. “And that’s Sam, the cute one.” Even with his back to her again she could see his blush as it reached the tips of his ears.”What’s your name?”

“Charles.” He had an easy and relaxed smile, the kind that made you feel comfortable around him instantly.

“Damn, I was hoping for something more old-timey.” Cassie grinned, taking a seat on the stool beside him and leaning on her elbow, playing with the stray curl hanging out of her double-buns.

“May I ask why?” He asked.

“I don’t know, I just assumed you were old and therefore must have an old person name.” She shrugged.

“Cassie!” Sam gasped, turning to give her a disapproving look.

“I’m not that old!” Charles laughed.

“How old are you?”

“No comment.” He grinned but shook his head.

“See!” Cassie pointed a small finger at him. “What about your middle name?”

“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because my middle name isn’t just an old name… It’s an old lady name.” He was clearly enjoying the excitement that was bursting out of Cassie as she rocked on her stool, almost fell off and then returned to rocking, her beaming smile never slipping.

“Please.” She put her hands together, begging. Sam had stopped mid-wash and had turned his head a quarter of a degree towards the pair.

“No.” He had an adorable lop-sided smile, Sam let himself stare while Charles’ attention was drawn to Cassie.

“If you don’t tell me I will actually die.” She stared him down with her large round eyes until he rolled his own ochre orbs and sighed. She pulled herself up close to him, knowing she had won.

“It’s Una.” Cassie rocked back away from him again and howled with laughter, Sam coughed and tried to hide his face. “It’s not that funny, it’s my mother’s name.” Charles’ expression was sheepish and he scratched the back of his head (a signature of embarrassment given the fact that vampires do not need to itch, since their cells do not replenish themselves).

“Were you one of those, like, ten pound babies?”

“No. Why would you ask that?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Trying to think of a reason why your mother would hate you so soon after bringing you into the world.” Cassie winked at him cheekily, Sam seemed to choke on his own spit.

“Cassie!” Sam had spun to face them again, his wet hands over his mouth and his freckled face flushed red. “That’s terrible!”

“It’s fine, darling.” Charles winked at the flushed omega, “I think your friend is too funny to find her offensive.” Sam looked away, his face burning, and dried his hands on a clean tea towel. The vampire watched him intently, taking in all the smallest details and committing every adorable freckle to memory.

“Funny ‘Ha-Ha’ or funny looking?” Whispered Cassie consiprationally.

“Bit of both.” He grabbed the leg of her stool and pulled her right to his side, then reached out to pinch her cheeks with both hands. She smiled up at him,

“Thanks, old man.”

“I haven’t even had my hundredth birthday yet!” Charles laughed as he said it, showing off his perfect teeth.

“Gosh, such a spring chicken.” She stuck her tongue out.

“All that matters is that I don’t look a day over twenty-one.” He grinned. Cassie coughed,

“Fifty-six.” His smile never slipped and she reflected his expression back to him. She decided she liked him, no matter how ancient. “So,what are you reading?” She nodded to the well-worn volume under his hand, he had lost his place after using his hands to grab her cheeks but from the state of it, the chances of this being his first read weren't high.

“’The Shadow of The Wind’.”

“Wow, I was expecting ‘Tess of the D’urbervilles’.”

“Because I’m old?”

“Because that book looks older than you!” She exclaimed, pointing at the tattered volume in distress. “Poor thing has seen some shit…”

“If books could talk would they tell their own stories or the stories written inside of them?” Charles mused. Cassie raised an eyebrow and pulled her best face of fake disgust,

“It’s too early for this, my friend.” she groaned.

“Sorry, you start to lose track of time when it never ends.” He grinned and Cassie grinned back, it seemed to be contagious.

“How many times have you read it?” She couldn’t help but feel competitive when it came to one of her favourite books ever.

“Maybe… thirty?” He shrugged, holding his battered copy to his chest protectively.

“So, ten times less than me.” She winked.

“You like ‘The Cemetery of Forgotten Books’ series?” He had a twinkle in his eye now, reserved excitement. “Which is your favourite?”

“Call me boring but I have to stick with ‘The Shadow of The Wind’, I know its everyone’s favourite but it laid down the foundations for such an incredible series and it still makes me feel the same emotions I did the first time I read it no matter how many times I pick it back up!” He was nodding along with her.

“I used to feel the same but I just love Fermin so much! ‘The Prisoner of Heaven’ was such a harsh shock of real, gritty fear and suspense after the more spiritual mystery of ‘The Angel’s game’.”

“True, but ‘The Shadow of The Wind’ has both the mysterious and the gritty!” She held her hands out as if weighing both types, “Sam is the only person I know who prefers ‘The Angel’s Game’ over ‘The Prisoner of Heaven’” The omega jumped at the sound of his own name, he had been listening intently to their conversation, he had no intention of joining.

“I’m very curious as to why?” Charles leant forward on strong, muscled arms, looking at Sam as though he were important. He’s not joking, Sam thought, he wants to hear my opinion. He shuffled on the spot, feeling so nervous he thought his hands might start shaking if he didn’t keep them gripped to the bottom of his apron. He kept his eyes glued to the ground.

“I-” He couldn’t say he related to the themes of loneliness and isolation, it was embarrassing to admit something like that even to Cassie, he didn’t want Charles to think he was a loner. “I liked the switch to the point of view of a writer, the process of creating literature and how it is judged within...” His voice shrunk over the last few words until he all but squeaked out, “Society.” There was a deafening silence as Charles considered his point. In those few seconds Sam berated himself mercilessly, he should have just given his pre-written spiel about not being allowed to have an opinion.

“I agree, that was one of my favourite things about that book.” Charles deep voiced pierced Sam and he looked up to meet his eyes, something he could only do with his friends and even then, only when he was comfortable. He locked eyes with Charles for a few seconds and the vampire smiled his support to the small boy. Sam’s face flushed for the hundredth time that morning.

“What other books do you like, Sam?”

~

As another break ended, Hanmi grabbed Sam’s arm gently and pulled him back to let the others get ahead and give them some privacy.

"Sam?" She held his arm, keeping their pace slow.

"Yeah?" He replied hesitantly.

"I think we have to stop this." She spoke softly, worried that a passer-by might overhear, Sam sighed. "Damien has been giving me the stink eye permanently since..." She looked away awkwardly. "And I don't think this is working out well for you either..."

"I don't mind." Sam grunted. He didn’t know what to feel, part of him was annoyed at giving into what Markus and Damien wanted and the other part of him was scared as to what would happen if they didn’t…

"I do,” Hanmi said firmly. “I don't want to get you in trouble. This is my problem and I'll just have to find a way to fix it. Thank you for trying, you're a really good friend."

"Are you friend-zoning me?" Sam joked, pulling back to give his best look of fake shock.

"Didn't think it made a difference to you?” Hanmi teased, “I thought you were '100% sure' of your sexuality?" she quoted, poking him in the cheek.

"I am but it still stings!" He laughed, putting a hand over his chest.

"You'll live." She grinned, pulling him in close for a hug which he returned.

~

"Hey." The soft greeting caught Sam off guard and he spun on the spot, knife he was using to slice celery still in hand. Charles' eyes widened and he raised his hands to his chest, "Woah, I didn't mean anything by it." he teased. Sam blushed and placed the knife on the counter beside him,

"I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine, I'm just messing with you."

"Oh."

"I did need your help though."

"Oh?"

"We've been here... A little while now and I'm down to my last pair of clean underpants." He laughed awkwardly, "I was wondering if you knew where I could do some laundry?"

"That's my job." Sam confessed, "If-if you leave it in the big hamper at the top of the stairs I'll sort it out."

"That seems a bit..." Charles was the one looking uncomfortable now, Sam tilted his head curiously. "I mean, I don't want this to sound rude, but..." Sam looked down at the floor. Does he not want me touching his things? Is he worried I'm too stupid to do it? He couldn't help the mean and intrusive thoughts, he always did this to himself. "I don't think it's fair that you should have to do that, I made the clothes dirty, I should clean them." Sam refused to look up. "I know that this is part of your culture and I really don't want to offend you, but like Cassie enjoys pointing out - I'm old as hell - and I don't agree with what I think this is." Sam peeked up through his lashes, his hands gripping the bottom of his shirt anxiously. Charles seemed to be waiting for him to say something but he kept his lips tight. The vampire sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I think this is slavery, Sam." He walked closer and crouched to look up at Sam, forcing the smaller boy to snap his head away. "I've seen it, I've protested it, I've watched it be outlawed but it still exists. Why should you do everything for these people?"

"Because I'm an omega." Sam mumbled, shame written on his face in bright red ink.

"So? You're short. That's not a crime." Charles folded his arms across his chest, raising his eyebrows at the omega.

"And weak." Sam countered.

"Again, so?"

"And smell different."

"I smell DEAD, Sam!"

"No, you don't." If Sam's face could have gotten any redder it would have, "You smell nice." he wanted the ground to eat him whole.

"As do you," Charles have him a quick, encouraging wink. "different isn't bad."

"There's no point moaning about it, I can't change it." Sam turned away and picked up his knife to continue his chores. Charles 'Hmmm'd behind him.

"Do everything for them if you want but please don't clean up after us. We are grown adults and are capable of washing our own clothes, making our own beds and wiping our own backsides."

"I don't always wipe Markus' backside for him, only on special occasions." Sam whispered., surprised that he had the courage to say Markus' name out loud, he wasn't allowed to do that... Charles laughed hard and ruffled his hair.

"Good to know, so where can I find a washing machine? Can I use the one here or is there a laundrette somewhere in town?"

"The laundry room is down there, on the right."

"Sound." Charles squeezed his shoulder and began to head in the direction of the laundry room to check out the machines.

"But please don't tell my alpha that you're using it." Sam whispered after him.

"Of course not, I wouldn't want the slavemaster to know I have morals." Sam smiled to himself, took a deep breath, and tried to clear his thoughts, he was getting too attached...

~

Karliah arrived to the classroom the subs were hanging out it and immediately knew something was wrong.

“What’s going on? Something’s happened?” She asked, barging into the group of them. Aminali nodded,

“Yeah, Jasper hurt his shoulder in PE - I really think it's popped out!" She grabbed Karliah’s arm and lead her to Jasper, sitting hunched over on a chair with a pained expression.

"You think it's dislocated?" The alpha asked, crouching to look him in the eyes.

"I don't know…” He sighed, “It really hurts though!" he whined. Karliah moved her hand forward to touch him and he jerked back, looking terrified.

"You should see the nurse - or maybe your pack doctor when you get home..." Cassie suggested, pulling at her hair worriedly. Karliah tried to reach for him again, slower this time,

"Let me take a look,” she spoke carefully, trying her best not to spook him. “I've put joints back in place for members of my pack before - Alpha's are trained to treat injuries while on hunts." She reassured him as she she took hold of the hand he was using to protect his bad arm, slowly pulling it free and holding it in both of her own, squeezing it gently.

"Um... I appreciate the offer..." He mumbled uncertainly.

"But?"

"But I'm scared you'll crush my arm!” He whined, his thin brows pulling together. “Alpha's are too strong for this kind of thing!" Karliah didn’t agree but she nodded to calm him.

"I promise I'll be gentle,” She coaxed, “just let me see.” she began to slowly pull at his shirt, lifting it with one hand and keeping the other attached to his much smaller one. She kept her eyes locked with him, waiting for him to refuse.

"No!" He whined, drawing out the vowel sound like a toddler whinging for a toy. She paused, holding his top up just a little."I'm a fragile flower, God dammit!"

"And I would never rip one of your petals... Intentionally." She gave the hand she held another comforting squeeze, rubbing her thumb over this thin fingers slowly. Cassie rubbed a hand up his back gently,

"Jasper, just let her look at least..." she advised, her face was painted with concern so liberally that it hurt Karliah’s heart to see it.

"She won't hurt you," Sam added, "you can hold my hand if you want?" He offered out his small, translucent hand and Jasper grabbed it with his injury-free one. Karliah tried again cautiously, like stalking frightened prey, and took the limp arm in both of her tough, slightly calloused, hands. She examined him for only a minute or two, her fingers ghosting over his skin and nudging his arm to turn from side to side gently.

"Yeah, it's out,” She nodded, “but I can pop it back in - let me wash my hands first though." she stood, parting the subs like the red sea.

"Are-Are you sure you can do this?" Jasper called after her.

"Yeah, it just needs a bit of manipulation so lie down on the table and let your muscles relax while I'm gone." She reached the door and turned to add, "Oh, Cassie, could you please put some of your antibacterial hand gel on his shoulder? He shouldn't need the extra protection, but since he's a sub I wanna be careful." And disappeared round the door. Jasper peeled off his shirt, slowly with the help of Sam, and let his trembling body lower to the hard table.

"Just relax." Cassie cooed, "You're lucky it's your shoulder - if it had been your wrist you would have needed surgery!"

"That's really not helping..." Jasper mumbled. The group jumped when the door suddenly banged shut and Karliah walked in, bringing with her the smell of aloe vera and antiseptic.

"Okay, are you relaxed?" She asked.

"I don't think so." Jasper mumbled.

"Well, either way I need you to hold still and let me know if you feel any pain - this shouldn't really hurt so if it does I need to know so that I can find the right angle." She bent the elbow to a 90 degree angle, holding him firmly with both hands - each one wider than his arm itself - to apply force, pushing away from him. Jasper gripped Sam's hand tightly, but it looked more out of fear than pain. He didn't make a sound so Karliah continued. She took one hand off to move to his forearm and slowly rotated his elbow, glancing between the joint and his face, watching for any expression of pain or intense discomfort. The room watched in tense silence, waiting nervously in case their friend cried out. "You're doing really well..." Karliah whispered, "Just relax as much as you can for me." She added, continuing to put force on his elbow. Jasper's face suddenly scrunched into a wince and he let out a high whine - which was followed by a sickening popping sound. Jasper let out a breath that no one realised he had been holding and let his body sink like a gooey paste into the table - finally relaxing properly.

"Better?" Karliah ruffled his hair as she asked.

"Better." He breathed out.

~

Sam plodded through the damp forest, the rain had intensified the smells of soil, plants and dog and he crinkled his nose in response. Charles walked alongside him, seeming much bigger now that Sam was on all fours, his pace slow and lazy as he took in the bright colours of the forest curiously.

"I'm very jealous that you have so much untamed land here," He commented, touching a branch gently and watching water droplets fall from it. "it is so beautiful and natural." Sam gave a small closed-eyed nod and trotted round a large tree, sucking in deep lungfuls of clean air. He rarely got to go outside, and when he did it was for chores, especially in his wolf form. Omegas preferred their human forms as they were even smaller as wolves, but for Sam it was so rare that he got the chance to run wild and free that he would take any moments he could get. "Aren't you cold?" The question shook Sam out of his head, he blinked for a moment, stopping in his tracks and dropping his hind to the ground to sit and look up at him. Charles approached slowly, running his hand over the bark of the tree as he followed, he stopped beside the small wolf and gave him a small smile. Sam cocked his head questioningly. "It's cold and very wet," The vampire reasoned, shrugging his shoulders. "you look soaked to the bone." Sam rolled his eyes and got up, continuing to wander through the forest with Charles at his tail. He was soaked but he didn't mind, it was getting wet with clothes on he didn't like - then his jeans rubbed at his thighs painfully. He also wasn't that cold, his thick black fur protected him from the chilly winter weather, when it snowed it would be a different story and he would enjoy nature from inside the house. "Is it true about the 'pack mind' theory?" Charles asked. Sam looked over his shoulder but didn't give an indication of yes or no so he explained, "That when a pack are in their wolf form they can send thought messages to each other?" Sam snorted and shook his head. He understood why there was a misconception about wolves and their links to one another, it wasn't messages per say but they did receive warnings and guidance from their own wolves in the way it reacted to different people of situations. Your wolf could sense if your mate's wolf was in trouble and vice versa, alphas could sense all the people in their pack, other wolves sometimes got 'a feeling' about something, whether it be good or bad, but that was about it in regards to other people. Your wolf was most vocal when sensing danger to itself. "What about your mate? Can you talk to them inside your head?" Sam shook his head again. He would explain it to him later, that it was more of a sensor, not a messaging service. "So you can't really communicate at all in your wolf form?" Sam shrugged, that wasn't necessarily true, each pack has their own signals and growls for emergencies or directing hunts. "Well, I guess you're communicating with me, I understand you... I think." Charles laughed. Sam stuck his tongue out a little and tilted his head cutely. Charles ruffled the fur on his head with his giant hand and continued to walk through the trees.

Sam was so happy winter break had arrived, he finally didn’t feel like the ground was being ripped out from under him, he had all day to spend on his chores which left him with enough time to actually sit and relax for a few minutes a day, or in the case of that day, a walk in the forest. He had been apprehensive when Charles asked if he could come, he would technically see him naked, albeit covered in fur, and he would see how small he was in wolf form. After he had changed and trotted out to meet Charles at the edge of the woods his fears dissipated, Charles didn’t care what he looked like or how big he was… Charles was… He didn’t want to say friend, he was too scared he would ruin it and then it would hurt that much more if he had called what they had ‘friendship’. He kept telling himself it was all fake, he didn’t want to get hurt when it all went to shit.

  
~

Cassie had spent her winter break so far relaxing at home and spending time with her best friend and his new friend. She had been eating and sleeping well, drinking lots of water (Charles claimed that was how he looked so young) and enjoying being generally lazy. She and her friends had been regularly texting and calling for the whole first week, mostly making plans for the second week.

On the first day of the second week she had promised to spend the day with Karliah (and Sam). She would be coming to pick them up at around 10 and she already couldn't wait. They were only going to get milkshakes at the diner but part of her had missed her friends way more than she had expected in her week of sleep.

On that Monday morning she got up early and showered, using her favourite strawberries and cream wash, styled her hair, pulled on a thigh-length black dress with half-length sleeved made of a soft thick material that her mum would appreciate. It was high necked and she teamed it up with a simple silver necklace, black thigh high socks (it was winter! Her mum would kill her if she went out with her legs bare) and chunky black boots with red rose decals. She was ready way too early so she grabbed her small black backpack (with her purse, phone, hair ties, water bottle and lip balm inside) and slipped off to find Sam.

As usual, he was up bright and early and doing chores. And, something that was becoming more and more usual lately, there was a familiar face lending him a hand.

"Morning!" Cassie bellowed, throwing her arms out happily. Sam jumped half a foot in the air and spun to show Cassie the petrified look on his face. She froze, arms still outstretched like a bird that had just smacked into a window, "What?" she asked worriedly. Sam put his hand to his chest and took a calming breath, Charles just chuckled and continued washing dishes.

"I just- I thought- Goddess, Cassie, you scared the shit out of me!" He accused. This time Charles did turn his head to give Cassie a surprised raised eyebrow, she probably had the same expression - she hardly ever heard Sam swear!

"How?" She asked incredulously. All she had said was morning?

"I thought you were someone else!" His hand was still on his chest and his cheeks were tinted pink.

"Who?" Cassie laughed, trying to think of anyone in the pack she could be mistaken for. Certainly not anyone Sam would need to be afraid of.

"Anyone!" He replied, then he lowered his voice to a stage whisper, "If anyone sees Charles helping me they'll tell Markus and he'll be furious! He doesn't like people helping me - even you!" Cassie folded her arms across her chest and nodded glumly,

"True. He's a massive dickwad." she grumbled.

"Cassie!" She felt bad when she saw how scared Sam looked.

"Sorry, shouldn't say that about people's mates." She blurted, looking sheepish.

"Markus is your mate?" For a moment, both subs froze, having completely forgotten that Charles was in the room. Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times but no sound came out, Cassie managed to stammer out,

"S-Sam, I'm so-"

"I…” Sam interjected, “I don't want to talk about it... Please." Sam whispered dejectedly, picking up his tea towel from where it had fallen on the floor and returning to the pile of sopping plates waiting to be dried.

"I apologise, it's none of my business." Charles looked genuinely sorry, almost ashamed of himself, and as hard as Sam tried to tell himself it was fake, that he hated him just like everybody else, it was so hard when his eyes were so sincere.

"I don't... I don't mind you knowing." He shrugged awkwardly, "But please don't tell anyone, he would kill me if people found out."

"Is he that possessive?" Charles folded his arms over his chest, looking worried.

"He's that embarrassed of me." Sam mumbled, refusing to make eye contact.

"Cassie's right, he's a dickwad." Charles agreed, Cassie threw her hands up.

"Finally, my genius is recognised."

"Can't you find someone else?" He asked, leaning back against the wet counter.

"He's my soulmate…” Sam replied, looking at his feet. “I'm not allowed to be with anyone else even if I wanted to be - we get weaker when we're apart and it can cause depression..." He looked up at Cassie who nodded but pulled a face as she did to show that even though that was how things were, she didn’t agree with it.

"So stay nearby but with someone else!" Charles grinned, pleased with his genius plan. Sam huffed and rolled his eyes sulkily,

"No one wants an omega." his bottom lip trembled as he spoke and he looked away from both of them. Charles started to open his mouth to say something but decided against it.

"That's bullshit, babes." Cassie scolded, "I think you're the greatest living thing to walk this planet."

"You used to lick gel pens to see if they tasted like the fruits they smelled like." Sam dead panned. Charles snorted. Cassie protested.

"Hey!" She whined, "Not cool!"

"I'm just saying, plus, you're one of very few people who think that way. Excuse me for going with the majority vote."

"Screw you, Sam." Cassie stuck her tongue out, "I love you more than anyone and our friends do too - who cares what Markus and his goon friends think?"

"He's an alph-"

"So is Karliah, and she thinks you're pretty damn great." The room was silent for a few seconds. "She's probably on her way right now to hang out with us."

"To hang out with you." Sam mumbled.

"She asked Markus personally if you could come!"

"To please you!" He knew he sounded snappy and rude but he didn’t mean to be. Cassie groaned,

"Ugh! Just let people love you, you dopey sod!" Sam cracked a small smile, trying not to laugh. "So, are you ready to go or what?"

"I haven't finish-" He began to turn back to the dishes when Charles grabbed his waist and turned him back to Cassie, stealing his towel from his hands.

"I've got it under control." Charles winked and nudged him forward, "Go have fun." Sam nodded and let Cassie lead him out of the kitchen, through the hallways and out the front door to wait for Karliah.

After only a few minutes they watched the alpha’s silver car roll up to the front of the house and the door swing open. Karliah stepped out, smiling at them excitedly. Cassie’s hand went limp and Sam stepped back to look at her curiously, she was frozen on the spot, her mouth open ever so slightly and her eyes fixed on Karliah, who had stopped in her tracks to stare back. Sam knew that look and quietly crept back up the front steps and into the house, making his way back to the kitchen. He didn’t want to intrude on this once in a lifetime moment.


	23. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Cassie couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know how long she had been staring for and she didn’t care. It was like she was seeing Karliah in HD, her sharp beautiful features, her sparkling silver eyes, perfect curled lashes, adorable upturned nose, clean and lightly sun-kissed skin, and immaculately braided blonde hair. Cassie couldn’t make her mouth work, she wanted to call out to her, she wanted to touch her, wrap her body around her and never let go. She understood. She understood what ‘it’ was, it was a desperate feeling, a need to be connected, she wanted to throw herself at her so badly but her body was held captive.

“Cassie?” Her name snapped her out of her shock, she blinked for the first time in five minutes. She watched a smile creep onto her mate’s face as she started to walk towards her. Cassie let out a breath and laughed quietly, putting her hands to her head. Karliah grinned full-force and threw her arms around her, lifting her up in her arms and squishing her against her chest tightly. Cassie loved the feeling, she didn’t ever want her to let go, she snuggled into her neck below the braids hanging either side of her jaw, wrapping her arms around her neck.

“You knew, didn’t you?” She whispered. Karliah kissed her neck gently,

“Maybe.” she could hear the grin in her voice.

“I feel so stupid.” She mumbled.

“Don’t, I’m just so happy you finally know, I was so worried about you.” Karliah rubbed her back and held her close, it seemed she didn’t want to let go either. They held each other for a few more minutes before Karliah turned and carried her to her car, “Let’s find somewhere more private.” she murmured into Cassie’s curls. Cassie nodded and let herself be dropped into the passenger seat of the car.

  
~

"Hey." Sam called to Charles’ back, the vampire grinned over his shoulder.

"Back so soon?" He asked.

"I think Cassie just found her mate, didn't want to intrude on the moment." Sam shrugged, he joined him at the sink and picked up a tea-towel.

"The female alpha?" Charles hip bumped him away from the sink but Sam was determined to take back the chore.

"Yeah, Karliah knew from our first day at the academy…” He rolled his eyes, smiling to himself. “Cassie is a bit slower..."

"Rude." Charles laughed, Sam joined in but much more quietly.

"I can say it, she's my best friend."

"So, how long are you gonna have to wait around?" Charles brushed his hands away, refusing to allow him to help.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"How long before they’re done ogling each other?" Charles clarified, "When will you leave for your milkshakes?" he finished drying the last of the plates and carefully placed the final dish on the top of the pile beside him.

"Oh... I don't think that's still on - Karliah's been waiting a long time to get her hands on Cassie... In fact, I hope I don't see them because I don't know what I'll see!" Sam blushed. Charles grinned, folding the towel in his hands and placing it on the counter. Sam placed his own towel over a hook on the wall above the sink.

"That's a shame, you look so cute today." The compliment caught Sam off guard, mostly because of how nonchalant Charles was when he said it. "Why don't you let me take you out?" Sam looked away, embarrassed, and fiddled with his shirt.

"My alpha-"

"Is expecting you to go out." Charles finished.

"But Karliah-"

"Is busy and will be MIA for who knows how long, how will he know you're not with her?" Sam didn't have an answer so he went back to fiddling with the bottom of his top. "If you don't want to hang out with me you can say so, I won't be offended." He sounded sincere and Sam felt guilty, he was a really nice guy…

"It... It's not that,” It really wasn’t, he enjoyed spending time with Charles, he liked him. “I'm just nervous."

"About me or Markus?" Charles turned his face with a finger under his chin, forcing the omega to make eye contact.

"Both." Sam mumbled.

"So, should I bring my car round?" Charles asked, pulling his keys out of his pocket. Sam looked away again and nodded. "Great." Charles started for the back door out to the drive, "Meet me at the front." he grinned like an excited puppy. Sam nodded, waiting for him to leave so he could cover his face in embarrassment. He couldn't believe Charles called him cute. He's probably just teasing you, he thought.

He took a few calming breaths before walking through the house and out the front door. Cassie and Karliah were gone but where Karliah's silver car had been there now sat a sleek black vehicle with a familiar face behind the wheel. Sam knew nothing about cars but this one looked expensive, he hovered on the doorstep for a moment before walking slowly towards the car. Charles watched him with his window rolled down, a smile on his lips. Sam hesitated before walking to the back door to climb in,

"Where are you going?" Charles called back to him.

"I'm getting in?" Sam paused, half in and half out of the door.

"Why would you sit in the back?"

"Omegas aren't allowed in the front." His voice got quieter with every word as he watched a look of disappointment appear on Charles’ face.

"In a wolf-mobile maybe, but not in my car, come on." Sam froze up for a moment,unable to move if he wanted to, worried that someone might see from one of the many windows facing the large driveway. He eventually trudged round to the front of the car and slid in, pulling the door shut softly behind him. Charles swung the car round swiftly and drove down the driveway, his driving smooth and controlled. He turned out of the end of the drive and headed in the direction of town. "So, still want a milkshake or is there anything else you'd rather do?" Sam shrugged, watching the vampire carefully, he found him so interesting. His skin was so smooth and unblemished, all the same shade no matter what part of his body was on show. Sam found himself staring at his arms in particular, toned and firm under his short sleeved shirt, he couldn't help but compare every man he saw to his mate, he knew that was normal for wolves but sometimes he wished he could turn it off. Charles was much smaller in stature than Markus, as most people that weren't alphas were, he looked to be around six feet tall with muscles that would look quite sizeable on a human. Sam realised he had been looking too long and snapped his head to look out the passenger window, a small blush on his cheeks. "Sam?" Charles asked worriedly.

"Hm?" Sam replied.

"I asked what you wanted to do in town?" He could have died from the embarrassment but managed to string together a sentence.

"O-oh. I don't mind..." He mumbled. Suddenly, his shame reached a painful level when he realised that Cassie had the money for his milkshake in her bag. The bag that was probably watching the two women have sex right about now. He brought his hands to his face, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry - Cassie has my money!" he blurted, completely tomato red. Charles just chuckled.

"You're not paying!" He laughed, but not in a cruel and taunting way, more in carefree and happy one. Sam looked away awkwardly, but felt excited about spending the day with Charles.

  
~

Cassie clawed at the head of her seat, clinging on to relieve the pressure she could feel building inside of her. Her seat was fully reclined and she had been pushed to the top of it as Karliah balanced herself on the end with her head under her skirt. Karliah ran her tongue over Cassie’s vulva, grinding into her and producing wet sounds that harmonised with her moans.

“Oh god,” Cassie gasped, “please.” her legs trembled, spreading to give Karliah more access. The alpha sucked on her gently, enjoying the gasps running through her. “Ah-aah.” Cassie rocked her hips forward, shivering at the feeling of the tongue rubbing at her softly, stroking along her lips delicately.

Cassie pulled the high, stretchy neck of her dress into the mouth to bite down on, she had to relieve the pressure and her mouth was making the most embarrassing sounds. The pleasure sparked within her, sending shivers through her. Her muffled moans drew Karliah's attention up and with it came her head, a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

“Don’t hide your voice, babe.” She chastised with a wink, “I love hearing you moan.” hearing her teasing and encouraging simply turned Cassie on more. Karliah pushed a finger into her slowly, once it was halfway Cassie was sucking it in herself. She moaned appreciatively into the cloth in her mouth and Karliah took the sound as a ‘go-ahead’ to pull her finger out and thrust it back in, enjoying the warmth of her clamping down on the digit. Cassie’s body trembled in anticipation, the feeling of the finger inside of her was good but she wanted more, she wanted to feel full. Karliah repeated the action over and over, until her finger was dripping with her mates juices, and then added another finger.

“Mmmm!” Cassie’s body curled inwards, her hips tilting forwards. Karliah continued until she had three fingers inside, jabbing into her with vicious thrusts. Cassie moaned sweetly, the pleasure coursing up her spine, almost too much for her to handle… almost. Karliah brought herself down under her skirt again and joined her tongue in the play, flicking at her clit with the tip. The neck of Cassie’s dress fell from her mouth as her mouth fell open at the sensations. “Aaah!” She moaned, her toes curled inside of her boots. “Oh shit.” Karliah’s fingers were unrelenting, thrusting into her. The dirty sounds only furthering her arousal. “AH! There!” She spread her legs as wide as she could, desperate for more. “Please!” She begged, her eyes rolling back in her head, “Please!” her thighs shook and her stomach clenched, “Please!” the pleasure was taking over and she didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, her vision went white and she came with a scream, flinging her head back and pulling at the head of the chair beneath her until it started to creak.

“Good girl.” Karliah gave her a few more pumps with her fingers, making sure to hit her favourite spot every time and causing an involuntary jerk from Cassie’s body with every thrust. When she finally pulled the thick digits out, she made sure to lick each one slowly as Cassie blushed and hid her face. Karliah chuckled, grabbing the front of Cassie’s dress and pulling her forward into her lap to kiss her deeply, massaging their tongues together. Karliah pulled back, enjoying the dazed look on her face , her eyes half-lidded and her mouth open just a crack.

“I wanna… I wanna taste you too.” Cassie mumbled, running her short fingers gently over her mate’s crotch. Karliah was fully erect, straining against her trousers as she rocked her hips forward into Cassie’s palm.

“I’m not stopping you.” Karliah teased. Cassie pulled the zipper down and traced the outline of her cock through the soft material of her underwear, there was a small wet spot where the tip sat pressed against the fabric. Karliah panted softly, her hands gripping Cassie’s dress hem tightly. Cassie pulled the underwear down, freeing her, and slid herself back to lean forward and lick the end tentatively, the taste was strange to her but it wasn’t awful, she licked her way around the head and down the length of her slowly before gliding her soft tongue back up to the tip again. “You’re such a tease.” Karliah groaned. Cassie revelled in the sound of her voice, knowing she was doing a good job. She sucked the head into her mouth, swirling her tongue along the ridge. Karliah moaned breathily and slid her hands up into Cassie’s curls, wrapping them round her fingers. The smaller girl sucked gently, lapping with her tongue and letting out small moans of her own around the appendage in her mouth.

“Mmmm.” She moaned, pulling more in, testing her boundaries. Karliah’s hands delved deeper into the caramel curls, securing her in place gently.

“Oh god.” Karliah’s hips trembled and Cassie knew she badly wanted to jerk them, she sunk lower, allowing as much as she could in until she felt it reach her throat. “F-fuck.” Karliah pulled on her hair, “Don’t stop, babe.” she gasped, her hips were jittering uncontrollably now and it was taking everything she had not to face-fuck her precious mate. “Sweetness, I’m gonna… Pull back…” Karliah panted, attempting to pull her back by her hair. Cassie continued, unthwarted, sucking deep and hard, until Karliah came, spurting into her mouth with jagged thrusts of her hips. “Ah-Aah!”

“Mmmm.” Cassie moaned around her one last time as she pulled away, releasing the tip with a wet sound and swallowing quickly, the small beads weren’t so bad but the whole mouthful was not tasty.

“Fuck, you’re way too good at that.” Karliah moaned, taking her round face in her hands and squishing her cheeks. “There I thought you were innocent!” Cassie smiled despite her chubby cheeks being played with.

“I am!” Cassie laughed. Karliah pulled her in close for an eskimo kiss.

~

“So, are you looking forward to going back to school next week?” Charles pretended to sip at his water, Sam was fascinated by his adam’s apple and how it didn’t move an ounce when he tipped his glass back.

“Not really…” Sam mumbled, playing with his straw. “I won’t have any time to get all my extra chores done.”

“Well, I can help with that!” Charles smiled, “But aren’t you looking forward to that dance that’s being put on at school?”

“I’m not going.” Sam’s cheeks tinted pink.

“What do you mean?” Charles rested his chin on his elbow, “Why aren’t you going?” Sam shrugged and looked away, embarrassed.

“I just…” Sam shrugged and looked away, “Don’t have anyone to go with.” he murmured.

“You’re not going with Cassie?” Charles asked.

“She’s found her mate now,” Sam explained. “I don’t want to third-wheel them.” He felt guilty for feeling sad that he would no longer be Cassie’s closest friend, he kept trying to tell himself that it was selfish to want all of her attention, that he had to get over himself. It was so hard though, Cassie was all he had.

“Won’t you feel left out if you don’t go?” Charles’ voice drew him from his thoughts.

“I feel left out most of the time.” Sam was surprised to hear himself admit that, usually he wouldn’t be so open about his isolation. He appreciated Cassie’s attempts to include him in everything, but he was always still an omega.

“Well, why don’t you let me take you?” Sam froze, slowly raising his head to stare at Charles with a look of terror on his face.

“I-I don’t know… I don’t know if that’s allowed.”

“Why not?” Charles raised his brows. Sam thought for a moment, trying to find an excuse.

“You’re not a student.” He announced.

“Are you saying I’m too old?” Charles teased, a small grin on his face.

“No!” Sam exclaimed, “I just don’t know if the head teacher would be okay with a non-student coming.” he explained. Charles pulled a face,

“I’m sure they would love one of the…” he peeked round, looking for any humans that might be listening in. “representatives… to show an interest in their school.”

“Well… I don’t…”

“Are they going to stop me from entering the school?” Charles asked, “That would be discrimination!” he pulled an expression of mock horror.

“I…” Sam didn’t know what to say, Charles pulled out his phone and tapped on it a few times confidently.

“Right, I’ve ordered my suit already so there’s nothing you can do!”

“W-well I don’t have one so I can’t-” Charles held up a finger to silence him and used his free hand to tap at his phone a couple more times.

“Do you know your measurements?”

“N-no…”

“Okay, I’ll book a fitting for your suit for this afternoon.” He said matter-of-factly.

“I-I don’t know if-” Sam spluttered, his hands didn’t know what to do with themselves.

“I called in a favour, a friend of a friend has a shop here, we can go after you’ve eaten.” Charles nodded, popping his phone back into his pocket and shifting in his seat, propping his elbows up on the small table between them.

“But-” Sam tried again.

“Come on,” Charles groaned, “I’m like a million years old, give an old man his dying wish!” he fought a laugh, watching Sam carefully for a hint that he might be about to cave.

“You’re not dying.” Sam dead-panned.

“Respect your elders!” Charles joked.

“You might not even be my elder,” Sam reasoned, playing with his straw again. “I don’t know how old you are exactly…” Charles leaned in close,

“If I tell you how old I am, will you let me take you to the dance?” he whispered. Sam shivered but nodded. Charles scooted his chair round the table and put his hand to Sam’s ear to cover his mouth as he leaned in, almost touching his lips to Sam’s skin, “I’m seventy-three.” he murmured. He pulled away quickly with his hands covering his face, pushing his chair away with his feet. “Ugh, I’m so embarrassed, please don’t tell anyone!” Sam smiled to himself, took a sip of his drink, and sat back in his seat with the smallest hint of a smug look on his face. Charles laughed despite himself.

“You’re not that old…” Sam offered, “I knew you had to be at least fifty because of what you said before,” Charles gave him a questioning look, “about protesting.” he added.

“Ah.” Charles nodded. He looked like he was about to say something else when a waiter appeared at his side, placing down various plates, they had opted for make-your-own fajitas and watched the waiter arrange small dishes of chicken, peppers, cheese, sour cream, salsa, tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce and onion across the table. They thanked him and Charles took his plate and placed a tortilla on it. Sam sat still, curious as to whether he was going to eat it or not. Charles tilted his head, “Aren’t you going to start?” he asked. Sam was startled into action.

“Oh, sorry.” He delicately placed items in his tortilla, watching Charles mimic his actions right up to the point when he brought it to his mouth and began to eat it. When he finished it, his plate blurred for a moment and then the fajita reappeared. He blinked and looked over at Charles who was creating another on his own plate. “D-did you put that on my plate super fast?”

“Nope.” Charles shrugged, sprinkling cheese over the open tortilla in front of him. “I swapped our plates super fast.”

“Oh.”

“Eat up, if you want a different combo let me know, otherwise I’ll just keep making the same thing.”

“O-okay.” Sam nodded obediently and picked up his food, eating it carefully, doing his best to keep his hands clean.

He soon became full and had to put a hand up in surrender, Charles laughed and shredded bits of food to fill their plates and give the impression that more was eaten between the two of them. Sam wiped his hands and face with his napkin, thanking his new friend for the food, and Charles paid.

As they left, Sam thanked him again,

“It’s really no big deal, our clan has more money than it knows what to do with, we own properties all over the world and none of us even use them!” Sam shrugged,

“I still appreciate it.” he smiled up at him. Charles would have said his heart was thumping if he were still alive, he felt very glad to be dead sometimes.

“I’m glad,” He replied, “so, my friend sent me the address of his friend’s shop - let’s go get you measured!” he lead them away for Sam’s first professional fitting.

  
~

When Sam and Charles arrived home, Karliah and Cassie had been waiting for them in the kitchen. Karliah sheepishly offered to take the pair out for make-up milkshakes the next day and Sam nodded and let Cassie begin drag him away towards her room to gossip. She gave Karliah a soft peck on the lips as she passed, which was rewarded with a large hand grabbing her backside and squeezing it nice and hard, Cassie wanted to squeal but held herself back for the sake of Sam, who looked away, pretending not to see the display of affection. Karliah followed them down the hallway and up to the front door,

“See you tomorrow, love.” she murmured, planting a gentle kiss on her mate’s forehead.

“But call me tonight?” Cassie pouted up at her.

“Of course.” Cassie grinned and waved goodbye to the alpha as she let herself out. As soon as the door was closed she continued pulling Sam up the stairs.

  
~

The next day, they followed the same motions as they had the day before, except this time they made it to Karliah’s car. Sam felt at peace seeing the excitement that Karliah caused in Cassie, the way her face lit up when they saw each other, the way Cassie gazed up at her like there wasn’t another person in the universe, the way she chattered incessantly when she was near and how Karliah hung off every word, nodding and replying to every thing she said.

Karliah had gone to the counter at the back of the small diner to get their milkshakes, leaving the two alone to gossip in their booth.

“I find the way that she dresses so funny though.” Sam commented, relaxing into the seat.

“Why?” Cassie asked, she peered over at her mate curiously, her mate, she was still coming to terms with that thought. The alpha was being handed three cardboard cups at the front of the store, she was dressed in a long sleeved black top and khaki combat trousers covered in large pockets.

“Because she looks like a hipster She-Ra.” Sam cut her out of her thoughts with his quip. She gave him a playful shove.

“It would be hipster if she dressed like that on purpose, I'm pretty sure that's not the intended look.” Cassie laughed, leaning out again to lock her eyes back onto Karliah’s body, watching her muscles flex as she walked back towards them, clasping their drinks to her chest. When she reached the table, she handed out the drinks and climbed in beside Cassie, wrapping an arm around her small waist.

“What are you guys talking about?” She asked. Cassie nuzzled into her,

“How you dress like a time-travelling she-hulk.” she gave an ugly snort and pulled away to laugh at her own joke. Sam shook his head before throwing in his own opinion,

“Or a butch Ashlee Simpson from the early 2000s.” he peeked up at Karliah under his lashes, worrying that he had hit a nerve. “No offence.” He added. Karliah just laughed,

“What does that even mean?” she took a small sip of her shake. Cassie followed suit, taking a much bigger gulp before launching into her reasoning.

“You always wear some combination of cargo trousers, combat trousers or baggy jeans and a plain or logo short sleeved t-shirt.” Sam nodded in agreement,

“We were just wondering if the intention was to look like you just walked out of a hip-hop concert in 2004?” he added. Karliah laughed again,

“They're just comfortable and cheap for if I need to rip them when I shift.” she explained. Then, in a much quieter voice, she added, “Plus, baggy trousers hide my dick better.” Cassie gave her a lopsided grin, pulling herself up using Karliah’s top, bringing her lips in close to the alpha’s ear to whisper breathily into it.

“Have you ever considered grey sweatpants?” She ran one hand down her mate’s torso and to her crotch, keeping her head in the nook of her neck. Karliah pulled her in close and chuckled,

“Anything for you, babe.” she gave the smaller girl’s butt a squeeze before pulling her into her lap and resting her chin on the top of her curly mop, she hoped that with Cassie tucked between her legs it would hide the boner she would get if she kept touching her.

“Anyway - back to the original topic, we don’t have long before the dance, what are we going to wear?” Cassie announced it as though she were asking both of them but looked directly at Sam.

“I keep telling you, I’m not going.” He mumbled, shoving the straw back into his mouth so that he wouldn’t have to talk any more, he wasn’t planning to mention Charles’ offer to Cassie, he still didn’t fully believe that he was serious. Cassie began to sing loudly,

“Aaaaand I am teeeellling youuu…” Karliah shoved her hand over the curvy girl’s mouth gently.

“Yikes. Babe, please don’t sing.” She laughed.

~

Cassie sighed, flicking through racks of dresses in all different colours and styles. She had dragged Karliah round two stores unsuccessfully already and she worried that her mate was going to grow tired of it soon. Karliah had already picked out a women’s suit, although she hadn’t been able to pick a colour for her shirt yet (she hadn’t told Cassie but she was waiting to match with her dress).

“This is so cute…” Cassie sighed, pulling out a short black dress and holding it up to inspect. “But it would look terrible on me!” She stuffed it back into the rack with a huff. Karliah peeked over her shoulder,

“But everything looks good on you.” she said, looking genuinely confused.

“No, because I'm rounder I have to draw attention to my waist - we need to look for something with a BIG skirt and a small waist!” Cassie ordered, flicking through a few more dresses, inspecting them carefully.

“This colour is nice.” Karliah pulled out a red specimen.

“It is. But that's a mode dress, it wouldn't suit my body type.” The brunette grumbled.

“Of course it would!” Karliah protested, “It's body shaped!” she held it out gingerly, there was no way it would reach past her own underwear, but on Cassie it would come to mid-thigh.

“It would cling to all the wrong places and ride up at the back because of my fat butt.” Cassie sighed dejectedly, turning away from the scarlet offender to browse through more dresses.

“That sounds amazing.” The alpha tossed it over her shoulder, she didn’t know what size it was and she didn’t care, she wanted to see it on her mate.

“I can't wear it to the dance!” Cassie laughed, not bothering to look at Karliah, expecting her to put the item back.

“Of course not, but in private this is going to be so hot.”Karliah wrapped her arms around Cassie’s waist, resting her chin on the smaller girl’s shoulder. “I can't wait to see your butt cheeks hanging out the back!” She added in a stage whisper.

“But what if I decide I want to wear it out?” Cassie teased, leaning her head back to place a gentle kiss on Karliah’s cheek.

“I forbid it.” Karliah laughed, kissing her back.

“You can't tell me what to wear!”

“You're right, I can't stop you, but I will beg you!” The alpha got down on her knees laughing, turning Cassie and holding her hands as though she were proposing. The sub blushed, her head snapping around to see if anyone was looking at them.

“Oh my god, you're so embarrassing!” Cassie laughed, covering her face with one hand. “Get up!”

“Cassie, I beg of you to not show your butt cheeks to anyone but me.” She grinned up at her teasingly, still holding her hands.

“I won't!” Cassie cackled. “Now get up, you sausage!” She pulled her mate up and into her arms, hugging her tightly.

“I’m definitely buying this, just so you know, I’m serious.” Karliah murmured in her ear, she shivered and nuzzled into her neck. Cassie hugged her back just as tight,

“I know,” she bit her lip, smiling up at her. “and I’ll model it for you when we get home, I promise.” Karliah grinned and gave her backside a pinch. Cassie pulled away to continue browsing, making her way down the racks, passing up every dress she laid her eyes on until the final rack. She knew it was the one before she had even tried it on, forest green, the same shade as her eyes, a deep plunging neck line to show off her ample breasts, a tight waist leading to a long, flowing skirt with a slit running up to the upper thigh. She snatched it up, holding it against her body and giving Karliah an excited look. Karliah grinned back and followed her to the changing rooms. Cassie slipped the dress on quickly, excited to step out in front of the full length mirror and watch the skirt swirl around her. When she walked out, she enjoyed the look of adoration on Karliah’s face, looking her up and down and up and down again.

“Damn.” She breathed, “You’re stunning.” Cassie blushed under her hungry stare,

“Sh-shut up.” the smaller girl mumbled, sliding her hands up her body, covering her cleavage and face. The alpha strode forward, eating up every inch of her.

“Don’t cover up, babe.” Karliah took her by the wrists and lowered them, a half grin plastered on her face as she gazed down at her. “You look fucking fine.”

“Stoooop.” Cassie whined, trying to turn her face away.

“I mean it, you look amazing.” Karliah wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her even closer, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to take all the looks you’ll be getting all night, though.” she teased, kissing along Cassie’s neck.

“You’re terrible.” Cassie laughed quietlly.

“I try, babe.” Karliah grinned her signature grin and Cassie felt content.

~

Sam had been dreading the first day back to school after the winter break. Now that it had arrived he dragged himself out of bed at the butt-crack of dawn, did his morning chores, inhaled an apple for breakfast, pulled on jeans and a top and packed his bag for school. He was wiping down the kitchen counters when Charles wandered in,

"Morning." He greeted cheerfully.

"Mornin'" Sam mumbled in reply.

"Are you okay?"

"M'tired."

"Why didn't you stay in bed for longer then?"

"Chores." Sam sighed.

"Don't worry about them, I'll do them in secret while you're at school, we vampires have a need for speed - no one will even see me!"

"Can't, alpha will be mad." His voice was completely monotone, as if he were still asleep.

"He won't know." Charles reasoned.

"Mm."

"So go lie down, I'll knock on your door when it's time to leave."

"Mm." Sam stood completely still for a moment, as if he were on a video call and it was lagging, his brain only hearing the information fully a few moments after it had been said. Charles put a gentle hand on his back and pushed him towards the narrow corridor that led to his room. Sam waddled out and into his room, flopping onto his bed and falling back into his dreams before his head hit the pillow.

An hour later, Sam woke up to a hand shaking his shoulder softly and a voice calling his name quietly.

"Rise and shine, Sam." The voice said, "Wakey wakey eggs and bac-y!" there was a chuckle by his ear, "Come on, sleeping beauty." Sam groaned and pulled himself up, putting his arms out and gripping the clothes of the person by his bed. “You want me to carry you?” Sam didn’t reply, too tired. The person lifted him easily and carried him through the house, he began to doze on their shoulder but was rudely awakened by a familiar high-pitched voice,

"Sam!" Cassie laughed, "What are you like? You can't sleep now we have to go to school!" Sam's eyes snapped open. He pushed himself back gingerly to look at the person holding him and blushed beetroot.

"Charles." He breathed. "I am so sorry, y-you didn't have to carry me." He wriggled his way out of Charles' arms and dropped to the floor, hiding his face in his top. The vampire just laughed quietly,

"It's fine, I was worried I would have to prop you up in your lessons!" Cassie tried to hide her snorts behind her hand. She felt bad because she knew how easily embarrassed Sam was, but he looked so cute in Charles' arms all puffy-faced and bed-headed! He blinked owlishly at her, still half asleep.

"Come on, Sam." She took his warm hand, "Karliah should be about to arrive and you can sleep in the back of her car!" Sam nodded with his eyes already half-lidded and let her lead him out the front door. "Bye Charles!" Cassie called as she closed the door, Sam gave a shy wave with his free hand which the vampire returned.

Karliah pulled up in front of them as they were descending the steps and Cassie opened the rear door, steering Sam into the seat and putting on his seatbelt for him.

"Is he okay?" Karliah leaned back to look at them from behind the wheel.

"He's sleepy." Cassie cooed, before shutting his door and climbing in the front. As soon as she had her own door shut and seatbelt on, Karliah grabbed Cassie's Peter Pan collar and pulled her forward, planting a hot kiss on her surprised lips. Cassie let out a soft moan and began to kiss her back excitedly but Karliah pulled back, drawing out a whine from Cassie. "Why-" She began.

"Because we're late for school." Karliah winked, settling herself back into her seat and pulling off the handbrake. Cassie slumped back into her seat with a pout,

"We can make up the time if you put the pedal down a little..." She whinged. Karliah grinned,

"You should know by now that I'm a very careful driver, I never go over the speed limit!"

"You once drove one-handed with your other hand inside of me." Cassie dead-panned.

"In my defence, this road is pretty much a straight line up to your house so I didn't really need two hands to be going in the right direction." Karliah lifted both hands off the wheel and waggled her brows to make her point, the long driveway leading up to the house didn't need rocket science to traverse. Cassie rolled her eyes and Karliah took hold of the wheel again. "I might do stupid things when I drive, but I never speed." Cassie was trying to keep her pout on but it was hard when Karliah had her infectious grin on, "Also, did Sam know about that or is he going into shock back there?" Cassie blushed a little, embarrassed at the thought of Sam hearing them talk about sex so casually. Karliah glanced up at her rear view mirror and Cassie turned in her seat,

"Sam's asleep." she announced, admiring his tiny form curled up in the back, his seat belt holding his head up as he snored softly.

"How cute." Karliah chuckled, "His mate is going to be all over him." Cassie's smile dropped. The alpha noticed immediately, "What's wrong, babe?" she asked. Cassie sighed.

"I'm sworn to secrecy” She groaned, “and I've already accidentally told someone so I can't tell you no matter how much I want to." she sighed, leaning her head against the window.

"Is it... About Sam?"

"Yes."

"Is it... About Sam's mate?"

"Yes, but please don't ask any more about it because he's my best friend and I already stupidly blurted it out to someone that we barely know and I've been kicking myself ever since." Cassie had to take a deep breath after spitting out that spiel but she needed Karliah to understand that she absolutely, one hundred percent, could not tell anyone again. She was so embarrassed at having told Charles, even though Sam had said it was fine she didn't feel right about it.

"That's fine, sweetheart. It's not your secret to tell." Karliah reassured, spinning the wheel with ease. Cassie relaxed into her seat, soothed by Karliah's sweet voice and smooth driving.

  
~

"K-Karliah?" Hanmi spoke softly, her eyes flicking back and forth to check for people watching. Karliah turned her head and smiled,

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Could we talk... In private?" Karliah paused mid-book-retrieval, her arms holding her books up just above the shelf in her locker. She turned to look at the much smaller girl fully now, her face showing concern.

"Of course, nothing serious I hope?" Hanmi shook her head with a small, tight smile. The alpha plopped her books into the metal locker, closed and locked it to let Hanmi lead her away.

They slid into an empty classroom, Karliah hopped up onto a desk and gave her full attention to Hanmi, who shuffled a little, unsure where to start.

"You... You know…” She felt stupid asking the question, but she didn’t know where else to start except at the very centre. “Damien?"

"Beta in my pack? Of course. Why?” She looked concerned, her eyes flitting over Hanmi’s face, taking in every detail, looking for anything amiss. “Has he done something to you?"

"No! No... It's kind of... The opposite, really." Karliah tilted her head curiously. "Please don't tell anyone, but he's my mate."

Karliah's face lights up.

"Congratulations! He didn't mention anything so I would never have guessed, does he not know?"

"He does... We had a..." She looked around, trying to think of a word, "Brief... Discussion about it and then," her face was already starting to burn with a pink tinge, her body sensing the shame she was about to feel. "he just hasn't spoken to me since." She dropped her eyes, a submissive move she normally wouldn't feel the urge for around Karliah (she always made her feel comfortable and respected, she felt like an equal with Karliah; not many doms treated subs as their equals) but often it feels harder telling someone you know your embarrassing secrets than a stranger. Even when you know they would never judge you like a stranger would.

"I don't... Understand." Karliah spoke slowly, her eyes searching Hanmi's face for some extra information. "He hasn't spoken to you at all?" Hanmi shook her head; Karliah took a moment to analyse her face as she did so before realising that maybe she was making Hanmi uncomfortable with her staring. But she was so flabbergasted. So confused. She knew Damien... He seemed perfectly normal and well put together, a little quiet but that was just his style: only speaking when he had something to say, not to simply fill a space with noise or to break an awkward silence. She couldn't think of any good reason why he wouldn't be spending every waking moment that he could glued to his mate's side... "Has he... Don't feel that you have to answer if you don't feel comfortable, but has he touched you at all?" She winced a little as she asked, unsure of how rude that question was to ask. Hanmi fiddled with her fingers and dropped her eyes to her feet again,

"No. Not really. He touched my arm when we had our connection - he brushed past me in the corridor and we made eye contact, I was so embarrassed because we just stood there staring at each other and people started to stop and look at us!" She pressed her hands against her red cheeks to relieve some heat and Karliah grinned at her adorable version of the story - no dominant would care that people were staring. "He touched my arm as he passed me and then grabbed it when we looked into each other's eyes..." She turned her hands over on her face, still trying to cool down her cheeks. "But then that afternoon when he took me aside to confirm it... He just... Said we were mates and that was it..."

"That's it? He didn't ravish you in the classroom?" She winked at the sub, who blushed harder. "What an absolute moron! How long ago was this? I couldn't keep my hands off Cassie when we first met!"

"You still can't keep your hands off Cassie now!" Hanmi teased, Karliah was glad for it, it meant she still had her sense of humour even in a very stressful situation. "But no... He just doesn't seem interested in me at all..." Karliah folded her arms and leant back, thinking about what his motive could possibly be. "And I might have been trying desperately to make him jealous for a few weeks with another wolf right before Christmas break." She babbled it out and Karliah rocked forward with wide eyes.

"Baiting a Beta?" Hanmi cringed at the disbelief in Karliah’s voice. The alpha simply observed her for a moment with raised eyebrows, unsure of what to make of the thought. Hanmi squirmed with a sheepish expression on her face. Karliah shook her head, "I don't know if you're crazy or-"

"I'm desperate!” Hanmi whined, too frustrated to think about the guts it would usually take for her to cut off an alpha, “It's been months!" she huffed, folding her thin arms across her chest sulkily.

"I get why you would think about it I just didn't think it would be something you would... Actually do." Karliah almost sounded impressed, but mostly surprised.

"Well... I did, and all it got me was guilt because I got Sam in trouble with his mate." She seemed a little defensive, folding her arms across her chest and scowling. It was so unlike her to pull such a sour expression that Karliah had to hold in a laugh. "I just... I hoped you would be able to give me some different advice..." She shrugged, as if she had already given up. "You know, from a dominants perspective..."

Karliah scratched her head and scrunched her nose,

"I'll sort it out, don't worry." She got up and started to walk out.

"Wait! What does that mean?" Hanmi followed her, keeping close.

"It means don't worry, I'll sort it out." Karliah shrugged, a playful smile sitting on her face. Hanmi opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, unsure of what to do. She overtook the alpha and stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"But..." She started.

"Just trust me, if things aren't better in 24 hours... I owe you one, anything you want." Karliah reassured, moving around the smaller girl and giving her arm a squeeze as she did. Hanmi didn’t know what to do, she watched as Karliah breezed out of the room, leaving the confused sub to her thoughts, which mostly consisted of worries and doubts. She wasn't normally one to stress herself out about anything but she supposed it was true what people say, being away from your mate for too long really does affect your mental health...

~

“We still need to get you something to wear for the dance!” Cassie gasped, putting a hand to her forehead. The dance was barely a week away now and Sam wouldn’t have an outfit! Sam didn’t face her, he continued drying plates with his green tea-towel.

“Oh, I-” Sam started, his face tinted pink.

“Don’t say you’re not going, I won’t hear it!” Cassie waved her finger animatedly, “You are coming with Karliah and I!” Sam tried again, turning to her now.

“No, I’m no-” but Cassie interrupted again,

“You have to come to the dance!” she whined. “It won’t be the same without you!”

“I am going.” Sam announced quietly, wringing the towel between his fingers.

“Good!” Cassie beamed, giving him a one-armed hug.

“With Charles.” He added more quietly. He had been planning to hide it from her but with not long to go she would surely notice if he turned up on the arm of a good-looking vampire, in a nice, well-fitting suit.

"Sam," Cassie sighed, "What is going on with you? This is only going to get you in trouble - You haven't had a knock to the head, right?” Sam shook his head with a huff. “So you remember what happened when you tried this with Hanmi?"

"This isn't like that" Sam insisted, "We're just friends, I'm not doing anything to make Markus jealous!" It was Cassie’s urn to shake her head now,

"Please be careful, babes" she sighed again, "This whole alliance thing could go out the window in a second and then what if this 'friend' turns on you?" Sam blinked in shock.

"He wouldn't-"

"I know that he's a nice guy but the alliance is still in its baby steps right now, we don't know what could happen tomorrow."

"I know, Cassie." Sam sighed with a pout.

"I'm not... I'm not trying to be patronising…” Cassie stammered. “I just-"

"Worry, I know." Sam finished. He threw his tea towel over his shoulder with a huff and stomped away to the laundry room, Cassie let him go, watching his back with worry in the pit of her stomach.

  
~

“Hey, I need a word with you, in private.” Karliah nodded to the hallway leading to her office,

“Yes, Alpha.” Damien nodded sternly and followed her down the hall and into her office, pulling the door closed behind him. Karliah walked to her desk, turned, and leaned back against it.

“What’s going on with you and your mate?” She asked. Surprise painted his face and he blinked blankly.

“I …” He looked uncomfortable, “I don't understand... Alpha.” he clasped his hands behind his back and looked at his feet awkwardly.

“I've met her.” Karliah said simply. He managed to look even more surprised when his head perked up, pulling his eyebrows together.

“I-I don't-” He went to repeat himself but Karliah raise her hand to silence him, her expression hard and showing that she was not in the mood for excuses.

“She's adorable and sweet and kind and you need to buck the fuck up.” Karliah didn’t like to get involved in other people’s business if it wasn’t necessary, but this felt necessary. If Hanmi was upset enough that she could pluck up the courage to talk to Karliah in private about her situation, it was serious.

“What-” Damien looked incredulous, his mouth struggling to find the words he wanted to say.

“Treat her like the damn princess she is.” Karliah ordered.

“B-” He tried again.

“Dismissed.” Karliah cut him off, her brows raised and her sharp look daring him to try and argue with her.

“Yes... Alpha.” Damien grumbled, pausing for a moment before stalking out of the room, doing a terrible job of hiding his annoyance at being told what to do with his own mate. He pulled the door closed just a bit too roughly on his way out and Karliah rolled her eyes, moving round her desk to sit and get some work done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the amazing response on the last chapter - every comment pushes me to write more! I hope you all like this chapter, even if it is mostly filler and tying up loose ends before the finale!


	24. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note: This chapter is rather graphic in its violence and non-con so please don't read it if you are not comfortable. The next chapter will have a brief recap of the basics of what happened so you can skip this chapter and still know roughly what happened.

  
The touch of fingertips ran up the heart-shaped piece of Cassie's back that was left bare by her dress. She instantly swung round, her hands raised defensively, she knew those hands. She hated that she could recognise his touch, his smell, his breathing, everything. She looked up at him and was mildly surprised to see he was getting even shabbier in appearance, his hair greasy and his clothes wrinkled.

"W-What do you want?" She tried to sound hard and firm but her voice was barely a squeak. Brandon smirked and, quicker than Cassie could comprehend, he grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the metal lockers behind her. She winced but refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her voice and braced her hands against his chest in attempt to keep him at bay, but it just encouraged him to push closer to her, using his free hand to run over her body... Down her side and legs as far as he could reach, and then back up and under her skirt... Round her upper thighs, pinching here and there... He grabbed her right bum cheek and squeezed it hard but still she refused to make any noise for him, gritting her teeth so hard she was afraid they'd crack.

"You may be a fat bitch but you sure do have a nice arse..." He chuckled and squeezed it again, "And a great pair of tits." His face was gaunt and his dark circles had become great sacks under his eyes.

"Go fuck yourself." She spat.

"I'd rather fuck you." He rumbled against her cheek, tightening his grip on her throat. Her breathing became shallow.

“What’s your problem?”

“Just claiming what’s mine…” His breath was hot on her ear, it smelled stale and she cringed away. She grimaced and rolled her eyes.

“When was the last time you brushed your teeth?”

“I don’t have time to think about anything but you…” He slid his fingers along the lining of her underwear. “You’re turning my brain to mush Flo…” He suddenly seemed... Tired. Tired and wary.

“Flo?” Keep distracting him, she thought.

“Mmm…” He nuzzled into her, his hands rubbing at her softly now.

“Uh… I think my aunt flo has come to town, actually. If you… get my drift.”

“You’re not due on for another 8 days.” He said, his voice monotone and direct like he was announcing a piece of information he had repeated ten too many times.

“How did you know that?” Cassie’s head snapped up and she glared at him incredulously. “I didn’t know that!”

“I know everything about you.” He whispered, his eyes wide, showing all the small red cracks around his irises.

“Of course you do.” Cassie scoffed.

“Your father is Italian.” He blurted.

“I have an Italian surname, that’s an easy guess.” She shrugged.

“Your birthday is May twenty-fifth.”

“Easily accessible information.” She countered, albeit unsure of how he could have accessed that easily-accessible information.

“You wear a size 12 in dresses.” He was pressed flush against her now, their foreheads clamped together, his clammy and cold against her own warm and dry skin.

“You can tell that from my body shape.” She gave what she hoped was a good look of ‘do I look stupid to you?’.

“You wear 34D bras.” With every new piece of information his speech was gaining speed.

“Again… guessable.” She didn’t know many guys who knew anything about bra sizing…Before she could dwell on the thought too long though, Brandon launched into a shit-storm of verbal diarrhoea.

“You’re an only child, you use four different oils in your hair, your favourite flowers are orchids, your ringtone is ‘Gashina’ by Sunmi, you secretly enjoy being spanked, you’ve never dyed your hair because you’re afraid it will damage it and cause extra fuzz, if you did dye your hair you would go blonde, you own more flower crowns than underpants, your bed is a single with a double duvet so you can wrap yourself up in it like a burrito, you hate full length trousers, everyone thinks your eyes are just green but they have silver flecks in them and you wish more people would notice, you are self conscious about your deep cupid’s bow and the fact that you suck at Italian despite years of trying to master it for the sake of your 16 cousins back home that are all able to seamlessly switch between English and Italian.” Cassie stared up at him, unable to form a sentence to describe anything close to what she felt as he info-dumped her own life onto her. “What?” He asked, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I-I… I don’t…” The only person who knew all of those things was Sam, but he would never betray her trust. Never.

“You don’t… know how I knew all that?” He tilted his head, grinding their foreheads together. “I know everything about you. Everything.” Cassie continued to splutter for a few moments, completely caught off guard. He was too volatile, she never knew what he was going to do next… She finally managed to reclaim her voice and shouted in his face,

“You’re a stalker!” his smile dropped. “A creepy, disgustin-” He grabbed her jaw painfully tightly in one hand, tilting her up to look directly into his eyes.

“I must know everything about you!” He growled.

“No, you mustn’t! You need to go home and forget about me!” She struggled against him, using every inch of her body that she still had some semblance of control over to push and wriggle. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? This had gone on for far too long, how was he not bored yet?

“I will never leave you. You’re mine.” His wild eyes scared her, she couldn’t read them at all, always switching through emotions like a pinwheel in a tornado. Trying to understand him or his motives was like trying to predict the actions of a crazed beast.

“This has been going on for long enough!” She began. “I will no-” He threw her over his shoulder and began to stalk away. “Put me down!” She thrashed wildly, “Get off me, you fucking creep!” She screamed.

~

Sam sat in class, fidgeting nervously, Cassie hadn’t arrived and it was fifteen minutes into the lesson. She had told him not to wait for her when she went to swap her books at her locker but she never said anything about being late. You know why she’s late, he thought, it’s him. He tried to focus on the lesson, push his paranoid thoughts away, he couldn’t assume the worst so quickly, it’s only been fifteen… almost twenty minutes. He slid his hand slowly to his bag, no sudden movements to catch the teacher’s eyes, and pulled out the slip of paper with Karliah’s number on it, he slid it into his sleeve and sat up straight. He waited a few moments before raising his hand to ask to be excused to the bathroom, usually he wouldn’t be able to work up the courage until he was near bursting but this time he sat up straight, looked his teacher in the eyes and spoke clearly as he requested to leave. The teacher looked a tad surprised but excused him and he slipped out, following the corridor first to Cassie’s locker, which he found unlocked and open a couple of centimetres, inside was her bag, half open from having the books swapped. He had been planning to go to reception if she wasn’t here and ask to use their phone for an emergency (his lie being that the number up his sleeve was his mum’s and he felt ill) but as he dug through her bag he spotted something that was both a relief and horror: Cassie’s phone, he knew she was in trouble if her phone had been left behind, but at least he could use it to call Karliah. He snatched it out of the bag, closed and locked the locker and slipped away to the boys bathrooms to text her.

_Hi, It’s Sam. I think Cassie is in trouble. Please meet me by her locker asap._

He only spent a few seconds praying that she would see the text when he got a reply:

_OMW_

Sam let out a shuddering breath, he hadn’t realised just how scared and worried he was until that moment, it hit him like a wave, leaving him cold, wet and clammy. He took a couple of calming breaths and stepped out, checking for teachers as he went and ran back to the locker. Karliah stalked round the corner moments after he arrived, looking horrifyingly intimidating, her wolf’s furious aura radiating out of her so strong he could feel it brush his skin. As soon as she saw Sam she tried to smile and lower her guard, he appreciated her effort to make him feel more comfortable but he was already a trembling terrified mess, he began to let out small whimpers as he tried to start explaining.

“Sam, what’s going on?” Karliah leant down a little, gripping his shoulder firmly and looking into his eyes. “Come on, buddy, help me out here, I’m petrified.” She actually sounded it, where she had lowered her powerful aura he could sense fear and anxiety.

“C-Cassie s-s-said she was g-going to put her b-b-books away,” He sniffled, on the verge of tears, “but s-s-she didn’t come t-to class and it w-was h-him,” a single tear broke free and made a run for it down his freckled cheek, “h-he’s d-d-dangerous!” he wailed.

“Who? What has ‘he’ done?” Karliah asked frantically, “Who is he, Sam?”

“B-Brandon.” He took a long sniff and let the air out in a slow breath, Karliah nodded encouragingly at him, rubbing at his shoulders where she still held them. “He took her, I kn-know it.”

“Brandon, that beta that looks more and more like a hobo every week?”

“Yeah, h-he’s psycho!” Sam exclaimed, “He’s b-been b-bothering Cassie for months! He kidnapped her before and h-he hurts her and then he d-does d-dirty stuff to her!” His speech was less stuttery and more speedy as he raced to tell her everything, “He’s like Jekyll and H-Hyde, I think it might be because of drugs or s-something because he’s all over the place!” his words had begun to blend together now with the speed he was throwing them at her. “He’s been getting more violent every time and he’s really scary and I begged Cassie for permission to tell you about him if I ever thought she was in danger because we KNEW this would happen but she didn’t want to bother you with it and over winter break I think she just stopped worrying about it but I’m sure this is him. Please, Karliah, I’m sure!”

“I believe you’re right, Sam,” She maintained eye-contact with him, she wanted more than anything to reassure him but her heart was pounding in her chest at the thought of some violent creep trying to put his hands on her mate. “and you totally did the right thing by telling me, I am so grateful, I was getting a weird feeling from my wolf but until I mark her I won’t know for sure if these bad feelings are coming from her or not, do you know where he took her before?”

“He has a cabin in the woods, I went there with Markus to rescue her last time-”

“I seriously don’t understand why I wasn’t told about this before-” Karliah began to grumble, but Sam cut her off, a feat he would never have usually managed.

“I don’t remember the exact route but I’m pretty sure I can find it again.” She didn’t comment on his impolite behaviour, whether because she was too distracted or because she simply didn’t care, Sam didn’t know.

“Fantastic, let’s go.” Karliah released him and began jogging to the car park exit. Sam froze for a moment before following, running full pelt to keep up with her. He had the briefest thought of whether they should let a teacher know they were leaving but quickly pushed it away, Cassie came before everything, he wouldn’t waste any time looking for her. Markus can kiss my arse if he has a problem with it, he thought.

~

Cassie struggled against the hand covering her mouth and the arm pinning her own to her body, she was trying to call out but her muffled cries went unheard as Brandon shoved her in the back-seat of his car, she started to scream hysterically, trying to draw attention from anyone who would listen as he pulled rope, a gag and a blindfold from under the front seat. He gagged her first, the large plastic ball too big for her mouth, her lips strained around it, cracking in dry spots; she fought back, trying to make as much noise as possible until she was silenced by the lump of red plastic. Next he tied her hands, then her feet, again she tried to fight back but only got one small scratch on his face before she was subdued, her hands tied tightly behind her back. Finally, he placed the blindfold over her eyes, as he fastened it he caught some of her curls in the clasp, she whined as they pulled at her scalp but he ignored her, pushing her further in and slamming the door behind him. He climbed into the front silently and Cassie felt the vibrations as the car started and began to move beneath her. She began to sob around the gag, kicking herself for letting it get that far. How long before anyone would notice I’m gone? Goddess, I hope Karliah can sense my fear, please let her wolf tell her something is wrong, the same thoughts circle her brain as the car speeds along, she can feel every bump in the road as he takes them all full speed. She tries to memorise the turns but soon gets lost with all the bumps and swerving, now thoughts of his terrible driving are added to her swirling group of recurring thoughts.

~

They burst through the doors, “Jump in.” Karliah pointed her key fob and unlocked the doors of her car. She climbed in pulled her seatbelt across her body, turned her key in the ignition, turned to her left and realised Sam wasn’t beside her. “Sam?”

“Yeah?” His soft voice behind her made her jump.

“What the hell are you doing back there?”

“Omegas aren’t allowed to ride shotgun.”

“Get your butt up front, you know I don’t play that stupid slave-omega shit.” She growled, it scared Sam for a moment, he had to remind himself that she wasn’t angry with him, he hoped, but at the situation. He slid into the passenger seat, closed the door and pulled on his seatbelt.

“Sorry.” He whispered. Karliah pulled off the handbrake and whipped her car out of its spot swiftly,

“Don’t apologise,” She spoke sternly but there was no anger in her voice now, “and don’t ever think that I see myself as better or more important than you, Sam,” when she said his name it always felt good, but this time there was another feeling mixed in, he couldn’t place it. “I mean it, I have and always will consider you my equal,” she drove at the very top of the speed limit, pulling out of the school and onto the main road. “and even more importantly, I consider you my friend.” Sam wanted to cry again, being acknowledged by an alpha, being acknowledged by anyone, his heart squeezed almost painfully. On his first day at the academy, he had been dreading going because of the thought of being around dominants, but now he was friends with one. In fact, he had multiple friends, friends that were wolves! And you have Cassie to thank for that, the thought suddenly popped into his head and he felt a rush of guilt for getting off topic. Karliah must have been thinking the same thing as she drove down the main road, asking, “So, which way, friend?” Sam blushed a little, but managed to answer,

“Follow the road all the way round, then up to those back roads that lead into that pack territory near that big pig farm,” Karliah gave him a quick two finger salute and a tight smile. “when we get onto the back roads it all starts to look the same so we’ll have to go slowly so I can look out for the right turns.” She followed his instructions, keeping to the main road all the way round. “And, Karliah?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you, for what you said, I consider you my friend too.”

~

Cassie had stopped bothering to try and work out where they were going by the time the car ground to a halt. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared that they had arrived at their destination. She listened to the driver’s door open and shut, the sound of shoes on concrete, the door by her feet opening and then the sound of a low chuckle that sent chills up her spine. He grabbed her by the legs and dragged her out, her dress hitching itself up to her bra as she went but she didn’t have time to feel embarrassed as he hoisted her up over his shoulder, still bound, gagged and blindfolded. He must have kicked the door shut behind him because he had both hands on her body, one on her backside and the other resting above the backs of her knees. She had assumed he was taking her to his creepster clubhouse in the woods but the longer the journey had gone on, the more concerned she became, she told herself that he was simply driving around to confuse her before they arrived, to make her think they were somewhere unknown, to disorient her… But since coming out of the car she hadn’t once felt a breeze or heard the rustling of trees and she couldn’t smell the wood of the cabin itself. If her heart had been racing before it was now sprinting. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening and closing and they were going down a steep flight of stairs, the tiny fragments of light that had snuck round her eye mask before were gone. When they reached the bottom, Brandon carried her a few more steps before dumping her on something soft, damp and smelly. Her best guess was a mouldy mattress. She was lying on her back, her skirt still up round her waist and her bound feet hanging off the maybe-mattress. Brandon busied himself with rustling and clanking sounds, Cassie didn’t want to know what he was preparing. She tried to stay calm but she was already breaking out in a cold sweat and her heart had been hammering since the moment he grabbed her at the academy. Brandon’s footsteps came back until she assumed he was standing directly over her.

“Nice panties.” She could hear the smirk in his voice. His breath brushed her cheek as he pulled her up by her hair, she winced but didn’t want to make a sound, he would enjoy it too much. He removed the blindfold and gag, ripping a chunk of her hair out with it, again she winced but this time she let out a small whine. Her eyes having been covered for the whole journey meant they were already adjusted to the darkness when she immediately swung her head round to scan the dingy basement they were in, she had been right about the mattress, definitely mouldy.The moment her mouth was freed she began to scream at the top of her lungs,

“HELP! HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME! HE-”

“That’s a very annoying sound-”

“HELP!”

“And a waste of your voice, I would much prefer you to use it to whine my name.”

“PLEASE SOMEONE, HELP ME!” Her voice was already beginning to crack from shouting as loud as she possibly could.

“This room is soundproof, dummy.” He grumbled, “You can keep screaming all you want, all you’re going to accomplish is giving me a migraine and in turn bringing a punishment on yourself.”

“HELP! PLEASE! HELP ME!” Brandon had a bored expression on his face as he approached her, crouched in front of her and slammed his hand to her throat, throwing her back onto the dirty mattress with incredible force and forcing the air from her lungs. She squirmed beneath his hand, gasping desperately for air, he gripped her throat tightly, his one hand enough to wrap all the way around. He pushed his hand down harder and harder until she became light-headed, her eyes blinking blankly as they tried to clear the fog that was taking over them. She couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t even wriggle in protest any more, her body feeling light and numb. He released her with a grunt and watched her suck in deep, painful breaths, her expression that of pure fear. Her entire body trembled and tears slid down her cheeks freely, she didn’t know if she had started crying while he choked her or afterwards but her sobs sounded creaky, like air being blown through a plastic tube.

He watched her for a few minutes, his head tilted in mild interest but otherwise completely unfazed. He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her up again, bringing their faces together, pushing his lips against hers, fighting to get in; she pulled away, her eyes wide and fearful and her lips sealed. He growled and latched onto her now exposed neck, sucking harshly,

“Aah! Stop!” she cried, struggling against the vacuum pulling at the sore skin of her throat. He ignored her, using the hand in her hair to hold her to him, spending just a few minutes on each spot before sliding further and further down her neck, “Please! It hurts.” she jerked away when he reached the section where he had choked her, the pain stinging much more sharply. “Stop!”

“Mmmm.” He did stop, but kept his lips pressed to her collarbone. “You taste good.” Cassie could hear her ragged breaths louder than anything else. She froze, closing her eyes for a moment and making a silent prayer to anyone that would listen. Brandon groaned and continued down to the lining of her dress, nibbling at her skin. When he reached her dress he used his free hand to grab at her collar and rip it away, causing a haphazard tear to the middle of her chest, exposing skin and bra.

~

Sam and Karliah reached the back roads, she slowed the car down to a crawl, Sam wasn’t kidding when he said everything looked the same back here, she thought. Part of her was already worrying about being caught on another pack’s land, as an alpha it looked way more suspicious to be creeping around another pack’s turf. It would be even worse when she beat Brandon within an inch of his life on another pack’s territory, and she would, she was sure of that. She wouldn’t kill him, she would bring him to the edge of death and then let him rot in a cage for the rest of his life. As they crept down the dirt road, Sam’s eyes flicking back and forth frantically, she realised her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands, gripping the steering wheel with far too much force, were clammy. She tried to take a few calming breaths, panicking wouldn’t help anything.

~

“Stop!” Cassie screamed, writhing under the hands pinning her down. He was fully atop her, sitting on her hips and exploring her chest with his grimy fingers. Her bra was being torn off her body in pieces as she fought back against him, batting away his hands with every ounce of strength left in her, she was tiring quickly, her arms aching from pushing back against him over and over, slapping at his forearms and punching his chest to no avail. “Don’t! You fucking creep!”She screamed, he paused for a moment to punch her in the collar bone, she gasped loudly in a mixture of shock and pain. She didn’t know where he had been aiming for but apparently it wasn’t there as he brought his arm back again. This time she hid her face behind her hands as he punched at the side of her head, it still hurt but she simply hissed, gritting her teeth to try and hide her agony. Her breaths were becoming ragged, her fear gripping her throat and choking her. “Stop!” Her voice was already becoming hoarse and tears began to well in her eyes. The bra had lost one strap, a piece of lace from one cup and a chunk of padding, the under-wire was poking out of the bottom of both sides and he had cut his fingers on it multiple times in the struggle. Drops of his blood splattered across her chest as he continued to rip and tear at the undergarment. He eventually managed to pull the entire item off in one handful, taking the tattered piece of lace clean off and tossing it across the room angrily. Cassie let out a shuddering sob, her terror showing on her face as she quickly covered her breasts with her arms. Brandon leant down, putting his hands down either side of her head and bringing his forehead down to press against hers. His putrid breath fanned over her face and she tried to turn her head away but he pressed down harder against her face, trapping her. She clamped her lips together to keep from retching and her jaw trembled, both from clenching her teeth together to hold back her disgust and to hold back her sobs. He stared into her tear filled eyes, his own bloodshot, and slid his hands along the floor, down to her shoulders and then up her neck, gripping her jaw. He tilted her head up, pinched at her jaw painfully and shoved his tongue into her mouth, it flailed against hers like a dying fish as he moaned and ground his hips down against hers.

~

“Over there!” Sam cried, making Karliah jump but quickly swing the car round and down the side road that Sam had pointed out. Less than a hundred metres down the dirt road, the wood cabin came into view and Karliah put the pedal to the floor, gunning towards the small building. She brought the car to a skidding halt outside and jumped out, marching towards the front door.

“I don’t see his car here…” Sam called from inside the car. Karliah didn’t stop to question where Brandon’s car was, instead she kicked down the door of the cabin, sending it flying to the other end of the room. Silence. The room was empty. Karliah froze. She had to take a deep, slow breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. Fury had ignited in her body and she was barely containing the urge to destroy the building, crush it to the ground in a pile of splinters, demolish it. Sam slipped out of the car and followed Karliah up to the front door, looking her up and down, feeling his wolf cower at her tight, rigid posture, muscles bunched and bracing, her breaths coming out low and slow, pure anger radiating from her. He didn’t know whether to speak, to try and console her.

“We go to the pack house.” She finally announced, “We demand to know where he is.” her fists were clenched as she turned stiffly and strode back to the car, passing Sam by without a look. He nodded and followed, climbing into the car silently.

~

The large, dirty hands ripped up her arms and pulled them together with one hand, holding them above her head and revealing her breasts to the cold, damp air in the cellar.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Cassie screamed, writhing and throwing her legs up again but still making no progress. Brandon latched his free hand to her nipple, playing with it with a look of wonder on his face. “You’re disgusting.” She spat, “A disgusting creep!” he tugged on the nipple harder with the same spaced-out expression on his face. “Ow! Fuck off!” She couldn’t fight him off, no matter how hard she tried to shake him with her arms, legs or torso. He brought his head down, suckling on the breast left free, slobbering over it and licking around her areola. “Did you not hear me?” She snarled, “Fuck. Off.” He bit her deep before pulling back and slamming his fist into her gut.

“Your language is still foul.”

“So is your face.” She managed to choke out through the pain. He brought his fist to her face now, knocking her head back down to the ground with a loud ‘crack’. Pain exploded in her cheek and her eyes rolled in her head for a moment, they watered but she refused to let any tears fall, not a single one.

“You need to learn to keep your mouth shut.” He growled, bringing his fist down again, this time catching her jaw, snapping her head to the side. She grunted, gritting her teeth again to hide any sounds he might enjoy too much.

~

Once the car was back on the dirt roads again, Karliah growled, slamming her hands down on the wheel with enough venom to make Sam jump in his seat and every muscle in his body clench.

“I don’t know what pack he’s with.” She admitted, her voice was a strange mix of anger and hopelessness.

“He’s a beta,” Sam offered, “there must be plenty of people who know who he is, if not personally at least by reputation.” Karliah nodded glumly but never took her eyes off the road.

“You’re right, thank you, Sam.” She took a calming breath. “We’ll go to my pack house first and see if anyone knows him, if not we’ll go to yours and if we still can’t find anyone who knows after that we just go to every pack house we know in the area until we find him.” She sounded much more sure of herself now that she had a plan in place, although Sam noted she was now creeping over the speed limit just a little. “That’s still a lot of places to check though.” He heard her mumble dejectedly.

“Our pack house is closer,” Sam whispered, “and I know our alpha will be in his office all day…”

“You’re a life-saver, Sam.” Karliah flung the car back onto the main road in the direction of the Scarlett Moon pack house.

  
~

She had no idea how long she had been down there, there was no indication of time passing, no windows to show the change of light as the day wore on. School couldn’t be over yet but she still hoped someone had noticed she was missing. Sam would, she thought. He would raise the alarm.

Brandon’s hands ripped off her shoes and socks hurriedly, she kicked back at him occasionally but soon learnt not to as he would grab one leg and either lick or bite his way up it, all the way up to her groin, savouring the taste of her as he sucked hickies onto her soft, caramel skin.

~

The unlikely duo of Karliah and Sam had obviously surprised Markus’ father when they barged into his office, he jumped in his chair a little and blinked curiously at the pair. His expression quickly turned to annoyance though as he snapped,

“What do you two think you’re doing in here? Don’t you know this-”

“Sir, with all due respect, we don’t have time to be scolded.” Karliah was working very, very hard to keep her tone in check as her anger sizzled inside of her. The alpha raised his eyebrows warningly and she returned the expression. “My name is Karliah, next alpha to the Lunar Warriors pa-”

“I know who you are, young lady.” He huffed.

“My mate has been taken hostage by a student at the academy and I need to know what pack her kidnapper belongs to so I can hunt him down and turn his body inside out.” Sam pulled a face behind her, imagining her words in far too much detail. The alpha considered this for a moment,

“And you expect me to know the pack of some random kid off the top of my head?”

“He’s a beta, alphas are supposed to know the alphas and betas of all the packs in their local area.” Karliah countered, folding her arms over her chest. He sighed and sat back in his chair,

“Fine.” he conceded. “What is the kid’s name?”

“Brandon.” She hoped there was only one beta by the name of Brandon, she didn’t know his surname.

“Brandon…” The alpha hummed thoughtfully, “If I’m not mistaken, there is a beta called Brandon in Timberfang, their pack house is to the north, their territory shares a border with that old coot’s farm… What’s his name?” He massaged his temples in an effort to clear his head.

“That’s fine, sir,” Karliah interjected, “I know the way to their pack house.” she put her hand on Sam’s shoulder and turned to leave. “Thank you for your help.” Although he didn’t seem to be paying attention to them any more.

“Oh, that’s really going to annoy me if I can’t remember…”

“It’s Martin Foster, sir.” Said Sam.

“Did I tell you to speak, omega?” He spat, putting extra venom in the word ‘omega’. Karliah whirled back round,

“How dare you!” she shouted, bringing shock to both male’s faces. “Sam is my friend and I won’t stand by and watch you speak to him like that!”

“Get out of my office!” The alpha bellowed, shooing them with his hands. Sam pulled Karliah out by her hand although she refused to look away from the alpha, glaring into his eyes.

~

Brandon’s fingers climbed the soft skin of her inner thigh slowly, as though he were trying to be sensual, to make it into foreplay of some kind, but he was the only one becoming aroused. Cassie’s breaths were coming quicker now, small, terrified pants that Brandon’s backwards brain probably thought was a sign of her enjoyment. She cringed back against the block behind her, she had no way to escape. She had slowly edged her way back with every attempt he had made at climbing up her skirt, usually leaving a warpath of small bruises and saliva behind. His hand climbed higher and he pressed his body against hers, the smell was nauseating. When his hand reached her panties, ghosting his finger over her lips through the material, she began to kick and thrash her legs again, screaming hysterically. Tears flooded her face, after all her efforts to hold them back, touching her between her legs was just too much, and brought snot and hiccups with it, but through it she continued to scream, she would never go down without a fight, ever. He managed to grab one of her legs and spread it, with the other he slid his finger under the lining, tracing over her bare skin, dipping it between her lips.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” She bellowed. He shoved the finger in, making it down to the second knuckle before drawing it out and thrusting it back inside of her. Cassie screamed again, she had no words to describe the disgust she felt at him entering her with his dirty finger, she couldn’t form a single phrase or sentence, only noise. He used his free hand to deliver a brutal slap to the side of her head. She screamed and growled her voice hoarse, squirming her body back and forth until she finally dropped from exhaustion, her body limp and aching. He continued, playing with her with his thick fingers.

~

Karliah drove like a maniac now, with Sam clinging to his seat for dear life. She was angry, angry at Brandon, angry at the alpha of Sam’s pack, angry at herself for not picking up on the problems plaguing Cassie sooner. Angry. Angry. Angry.

~

After violating her with multiple fingers, working his way up to four quickly and with stomach-turning enthusiasm, his dirty fingernails scraping inside of her, Brandon pulled them out, inspecting them for a minute before he stood up, took a step forward and crouched over her, pulling her head up by her curls. She was still exhausted from unsuccessfully fighting him off and gave little kickback.

“My turn, babe.” He growled, holding her up on her knees by her hair. He used his free hand to pull down his zipper jerkily, getting it stuck in the middle in his haste. Cassie’s eyes widened and she began to scramble back frantically, her hands puling at the one in her hair, a second wave of energy hitting her body from pure fear. He pulled his penis out, rubbing at it a little before yanking her head forward, slapping her cheek with it. Cassie sobbed, kicking her feet out and scratching at his wrists with her short nails. A slither of pre-cum was left on her skin as he dragged the tip across her face and pressed it to her lips. “Bite me and I’ll rip your fucking throat out.” He warned, pressing harder against her vault-tight lips. She glared up at him, holding her lips closed. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, sizing each other up. A harsh slap took Cassie by surprise and her mouth popped open when she gasped,

“Aah!” he took his chance and stuffed himself inside her mouth sloppily, forcing in as much as he could. Cassie clawed at his arms and tried desperately to push herself back with her feet but his second hand had latched onto her hair too and he had her entire head in an iron grip, pulling her forward to slither deeper into her mouth.

“Baby, your mouth feels amazing.” Precum dripped onto her tongue and she gagged at the foul taste, everything about him looked, smelled and tasted dirty and disgusting, she had to resist wondering when the last time he could have showered was or she would have gagged again. He grunted when she gagged around his length, pushing more in, she continued to slap, punch and kick at him, a new anger igniting inside of her. Her entire body ached, she was so, so tired… The hands in her hair began to jerk her head back and forth now, face-fucking her onto his dick. She screamed around it but he only moaned, enjoying the struggle. So tired… Every muscle in her body ached as she continued her onslaught of hits, albeit much more slowly than before, but he took no notice, too absorbed in chasing his own pleasure, humping into her mouth like a crazed dog. “Fuck, your tongue is so soft.” He groaned, pulling her hair harder. A growl was restrained in Cassie’s chest, he would only enjoy that if it were let loose, she had to restrain herself, she had to keep fighting him. After a few more barely noticeable hits,with arms and legs heavy as bricks, she slumped, unable to hold herself up any more. She wanted to fight, she wanted to make this hard for him, but her body wouldn’t listen to instruction any more, she had used all of her energy kicking and squirming when he had his fingers inside of her, the last ten minutes she had been running on pure fury-fuel, but even that had to run out at some point. The jerking of his hips became erratic and she knew he was close, more precum dribbled down her throat like small drops of slime. She was so tempted to bite down on him in that moment, rip the tip off, but while he was happy, she lived. He groaned loudly and slammed himself in to the hilt, his balls touching her chin as he rode out his orgasm. Salty cum sprayed into Cassie’s mouth and she suddenly retched, ready to vomit right on his genitals. Saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth as her stomach heaved and Brandon continued to dredge out the last few moments of his release. When he finally pulled out Cassie immediately lurched forward onto her hands and knees and spewed a small river of vomit between Brandon’s feet, her stomach clenching and unclenching painfully as it forced its contents out onto the concrete floor, her throat burned painfully and her eyes streamed at the feeling. Brandon watched her with a grimace but made no move to help or hinder her as she continued to retch for a few minutes after everything but her organs had come up. When her body finally relaxed she pushed herself back, away from the puddle, and sucked in a few deep lungfuls of air, raising one trembling hand to her face to wipe away her tears before collapsing to her back, utterly exhausted.

Brandon stepped forward and wrapped an arm round her torso, lifting her upper half off the floor, he dragged her drained body to one of the four cement columns supporting the ceiling of the dank room, slumping her against it, letting her pure exhaustion do the work for him in keeping her seated on the cold floor. He grabbed a bundle of rope from the side and slung it over his shoulder before returning to pull her up by her armpits and use his own body to press her back against the pillar. He threw the rope round a couple of times, securing her chest, waist and legs and pulling it tight to hold her up straight. He ringed the rope round her a few more times for good measure and tied the ends in messy knots, piled on top of each other. So tired… But she didn’t trust the rope to hold her up… Her legs shook beneath her, the only part of her convincingly tied back was her arms which was infuriating. She comforted herself with the thought that Karliah would find her, she would.

~

The car skidded to a halt, throwing up gravel in every direction, in front of what any human would see as an enormous house, to Sam and Karliah, it looked like a medium-sized pack house. Karliah switched the car off and threw her car door open with more strength than was necessary and slammed it so hard the chasis shook. Sam let out a breath, releasing his fingernails from the seat cushion beneath him, and followed the alpha out of the car, opening and closing his own door much more gently. He watched Karliah’s plaits swing menacingly, slapping her back as she stormed to the front door and slammed her fist against it five times in rapid succession. Sam held back, hovering in her shadow awkwardly as they waited for a response. It didn’t take long for the door to open, a confused face peering out.

“Can I help you?” It was a woman in her late twenties to early thirties, a sub. Sam couldn’t see her body as she hid behind the door, it wasn’t likely she would be coming out from behind it any time soon as Karliah stood over her with a ferociously intimidating aura.

“Is there a member of this pack called Brandon?” Karliah asked, barely containing her fury. “A beta with brown dirty hair?” The woman nodded, her eyes wide. “Where can I find him?”

“I-I don’t know, M’am.” Sam watched the alpha’s body take three long, deep, shuddering breaths before she growled,

“I don’t think you understand,” she stepped forward, forcing the door open with her shoulder and entering the house, “I need him NOW.” she snarled. “Find me someone who can locate him or I WILL demolish this house and everyone in it with.” She jerked her head down to the level of the terrified sub. “My. Bare. Hands.” Her face got closer with every word until their noses could almost touch. The woman nodded, her hands clenched to her chest, and scurried up the stairs for help. She took a step back and spun on her heel, sucking in a deep breath. Suddenly, she froze. “Sam?” The omega’s head snapped up, something about her voice was off. She had an expression of pure shock held tight to her face, she didn’t move a muscle except to take deep inhalations of air through her nose.

“What can you smell?” He whispered. Her eyes flashed and a gasp choked in her throat.

“Cassie.” She said, sounding as though someone had just knocked the air from her lungs.

~

Why won’t you just listen to me?” Brandon demanded. Cassie’s eyes drooped, everything hurt. “Wake up!” He bellowed angrily. He took a shot at her ribs and she cried out, her voice surprising herself with its croakiness. She refused to try any more… Her feet were already starting to hurt from holding her up bare on the uneven cement floor.

“Brandon.” She sighed, “I don’t know what it is you want from me.”

“I want you to remember me!” Cassie let her eyes close again, so, so tired. Karliah will find me, she thought.

~

She could feel it now, see it in her mind, as though her wolf was projecting the images onto the back of her eyelids like an old-fashioned movie. Karliah’s radar had never been this strong before, she had been able to sense danger but she couldn’t see and hear it in her mind like this. At first she struggled to walk straight, the flashing images of Cassie half-conscious, semi-stripped and tied to a column coming at her too quick, often and shocking to let her grow accustomed to them easily. She could hear her voice, but it didn’t sound like her, every word sounded painfully creaky, like someone had scraped out her throat with a wooden spoon.

Karliah stumbled forward, clutching her head and grunting in pain, flashes in front of her eyes burning her retinas.

  
~

  
“But it’s not my fault, you know…” Cassie stayed silent, watching him pace around her. “No, I know it’s not… I can’t help it…You are tricking my wolf… It’s not my wolf’s fault… And it’s not my fault.” She closed her eyes, growing dizzy of trying to follow him with them. Her legs ached from holding up part of her weight for so long (she didn’t trust the ropes to hold her fully if she let herself slump) and the bottoms of her feet burned.

“It’s your fault!” He barked the accusation, making her jump and open her eyes. So tired; she didn’t know if she even had the energy to be that scared any more. He stalked up to her, centimetres from her face,“You make me like this!” he screamed. She didn’t flinch. His eyes stared into each of hers, back and forth, looking for a reaction, panting from his outburst. Cassie stared straight back at him, keeping her eyes trained on the stray hairs between his eyebrows. She felt… Bland… Numb. She just… didn’t care any more. She had no idea if that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, he couldn’t get off on her fear, on the other hand, did this mean she had submitted to him? Was she letting him win by not reacting? “Do you hear me?!” She raised an eyebrow, challenging him. He grunted and stepped back to continue his circling. “You look like her, you dress like her - you even moan like her! What am I supposed to do? The Goddess is giving me my second chance with you - I can’t go against her will!” He clawed lightly at the sides of his head, pulling at his own hair. “Florencia, why don’t you love me?” He turned to her, waiting for her reply apparently. Cassie glanced at him and then away, showing her disinterest in a soft sigh. “I want my second chance!” he cried.

Cassie closed her eyes again, ready to ignore his rambles. Karliah will find me. Karliah will find me. Karliah will find me. She chanted in her head, reminding herself of the day she fainted in the corridor at school, she found me then… She can find me now. “FLORENCIA!” He roared, this time she didn’t react. She could hear his heavy breaths coming towards her, then she could feel them on her face; then she could feel his tongue, slimy and hot, sliding from her jaw to her temple. She struggled to hold back a cringe now, her emotions starting to ignite back inside of her again. She didn’t want them… She didn’t want to feel the shame… She didn’t even want to feel the anger - what was the point when there was nothing she could do anyway? If she didn’t stay calm and emotionless she might start to get hope… It hurt too much when she lost her hope the first time, she didn’t want to go through that again. He pressed his lips against her cheek, “My wolf hates you SO much… But what can I do? The Goddess gave you back to me and I won’t let my wolf get between us, Florencia.” Cassie took a deep breath,

“My name…” She opened her eyes, staring straight ahead, “Is Casimira Maria Linette.” Brandon breathed heavily against her cheek for a few moments before pulling back to grab her face between his large, dirty hands and press their foreheads together; he stared into her emerald eyes with his own wide, crazed brown ones.

“It’s okay, Florencia.”His eyes appeared to be filling with tears, “You don’t have to pretend any more.” he whispered.

“Brandon,” Cassie glared at him. “you need to get a fucking grip.” She heard the slap before she felt it, right across her face.

“Why do you keep making me do bad things to you?” He cried, “Why can’t you just behave?!” his hands grabbing at her hair and shaking her head.

“None of this is my fault, Brandon.” She kept her voice as calm as she could, her emotions had definitely been snapped back to the surface again with the hit. “You are choosing to hurt me.”

“I would never hurt my mate!”

“I am not your mate.”

“You don’t remember? You don’t remember what happened to you, Florencia?”

“Once again, Bra-”

“You were killed. They took you from me before I could mark you - before I could even mate you!” He rambled, his eyes seemed to be shaking in his skull, like they had decided they wanted to get off the ride, it was too scary. “But the Goddess gave you back to me! She gave me a second chance! And I’m not going to waste it!” He was borderline hysterical, his voice echoing off the walls as he got louder and louder with each statement, “This time… This time I’ll mark you!”

“What?! No-” Brandon shoved a grimy hand over her mouth.

“And I’ll mate you and you’ll have my babies and we’ll be happy forever and-”

“Mmmmmf!” Karliah will come. Karliah will come.

“It’s okay,” He cooed, drawing out the word ‘okay’ until he had to take a breath. “everything will make sense when I show you the photos, you’ll remember who you were.” He nuzzled into her face, “You’ll remember how much we love each other, not even our wolves can keep us apart.” He released the hand from her mouth and slammed his thin lips onto her full ones, fighting to get his tongue inside. Cassie pinched her lips together so tightly they turned white all the way to the tips of her cupid’s bow. He persisted, licking at the crease of her lips and biting at the corners of her mouth.

Cassie wanted the numbness back, she was scared, more scared than she had probably ever been in her life. She shook her head, back and forth to dislodge him before slamming her head forward into his and knocking him back a few paces. Pain exploded across her forehead and she had to fight very hard to keep her eyes open, even at just a squint.

“I would rather die.” She spat. Brandon growled, took two long angry breaths and swung his hand forward, cracking the back of her head into the cement column behind her. The world disappeared so suddenly, her vision, her hearing, everything, gone so suddenly. A dreamless sleep with no end and no beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad to finally be able to post this chapter, this chapter and the final chapter have been half-written from the start and I've been slowly building up to them for so long (3 years!) so I hope you guys like them, even if you hate me for them too!
> 
> Please let me know what you guys think, it's the comments that drive me to keep updating!
> 
> Also - The next chapter may take a bit longer to write (I did get this one out a week early so we're even?) so you have been warned!


	25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Cassie.” A distant voice. The volume of their call being swallowed like a deep cave eats the shouts of explorers. “Cassie…” That’s my name. “Baby… Come on, it’s wakey wakey time.” The voice didn’t match the words it was saying: the caller sounded choked, either beginning to cry or finishing a good long sob… She took register of everything, head to her toes, taking in the lack of sensation in patches of her legs and the dull pain blossoming at the back of her head, slowly spreading across her temples as she woke. Her throat burned, her chest ached and her eyeballs prickled behind her lids from the bright light on the other side.

“Kar-” Cassie’s voice shocked her for a moment, it was raspier than a chain smoker’s. She tried a gentle cough but it didn’t shift the croak of her voice, “Karliah?” the alpha let out a gasp that bordered on a sob.

“Yes? Cassie, baby,” Karliah, she thought, she sounds so happy… but not. “are you awake?”

“Mmm.”

“Oh, thank goddess.”

“It…” Her voice could barely be heard over the soft beeping of monitoring machines and the whirring of a fan at the end of her bed. “It hurts.”

“I know, sweetness, I’m so sorry.” And she sounded it, Cassie had never heard her like this, when she thought of Karliah it was always with a grin on her face, usually giving a cheeky wink.”I’m so sorry.”

“How…” She finally managed to creak her heavy eyes open, they stung a little and she had to blink frequently, but she could see to the end of a bed, clean and decked out with white and blue linen. Fuzzy vision aside, it didn’t take a genius to know she was in a room on a medical ward, which pack it belonged to, she didn’t know. It could be her own pack’s for all she knew, luckily she had never had to stay at the pack doctor’s building for more than half an hour for a check-up or a jab. “Where…” A sharp pain ran through her forehead and rested between her eyes, forcing them closed again. “Ugh.” She groaned.

“Try not to move too much, baby, you took a bad knock to the head,” She peeled her eyes open again to glance over, just for a few seconds, at her mate. Karliah was a mess, her eyes puffy, her skin pale, her clothes wrinkled and her hands trembling, clamped together in front of her as though she were mid-prayer. She was watching Cassie carefully, like she was afraid the smaller girl might vanish in front of her very eyes if she blinked a moment too long. “Dr Herman said she would be surprised if you could remember anything.” Dr Herman, that’s not one of our pack doctors… I don’t think… Cassie thought.

“I remember… most of it,” Cassie took a shuddering breath, her mouth was dry and talking was making her head hurt more. “just not… the end… so much.” She winced, closing her eyes until the sudden shock of pain subsided. She didn’t want to think about it too much but the memory in her head was definitely missing some chunks, like how she remembered being tied to a stone column, but not how she got there. “He was… he was going to mark me.” Her eyes opened suddenly flicking to Karliah’s alarmed expression. “He didn’t?” She croaked, “Please. Please say he did-”

“No!” Karliah took her hands gently, rubbing soft circles on them in an attempt to calm her, it was the first time she had touched her since she had woken up, it felt good. “Absolutely not, baby. I would never let that happen.” Karliah’s expression was filled with guilt, Cassie wanted to tell her everything was okay but she knew neither of them believed it.

“How close…” Cassie looked away, “How far,” her voice cracked on ‘far’ and she had to stop again, trying pointlessly to swallow despite her bone-dry mouth. Karliah removed one hand from hers to hand her a plastic cup of water, Cassie tried to lift her arm to take it but her whole body ached. She moaned pitifully but Karliah understood, she held the cup to her lips and helped her sip gently. Cassie mouthed ‘thank you’ and cleared her throat, this time it worked at least a little bit. “How far did he go?” She asked.

“With you?” Karliah searched her round eyes, clearly unsure of whether she was ready to hear the details yet. Cassie nodded, her eyebrows pulling together in a pleading look that made Karliah’s face crumple. “I mean, I don’t know… a great deal… of what happened,” Liar, Cassie thought, her expression gave her away. “but we have a pretty solid time-line made up from your… injuries.” She was avoiding answering the question and they both knew it. “So, that should help with our case.”

“Please, Karliah.” She breathed.

“He… beat you up very badly,” Cassie knew Karliah didn’t want to say the words, but if it were her in this situation she would want to know, she would want to have that much in way of control over what had happened, whether Cassie would tell her, she didn’t know. “there are bruises from where he groped your… breasts, thighs, waist and… bum, he licked you in a few places, tried to kiss you, bit you on your thighs, breasts and your lips, he sucked hickies onto your neck and all over your legs, he,” She had to fight with herself to find the words, let lone say them. “put his… fingers…” Karliah grit her teeth, Cassie knew how hard it was for her to be vulnerable, she had never seen her this upset before. “inside you… and his… penis… in your mouth.” She squeezed the subs hands, trying her best not to hurt her. “I’m so sorry, Cassie.”

“S’not your fault.” Cassie mumbled. She didn’t know what to feel about any of that information, it just sat in her head like an unwelcome visitor.

“It is, I should have done something, I should have known, I should have moved faster-”

“Shoulda… coulda… woulda.” Cassie sighed, “I should have told you sooner.”

“That I agree with, thank goddess for Sam telling me when he did.” They both fell silent at the thought of what could have happened if Sam hadn’t gone to Karliah, Cassie knew they were both wondering how to thank him.

“When did…” Cassie closed her eyes and mouth and groaned quietly, her head aching like a band had been wrapped around her temple and was squeezing down tightly. “Sam tell you?”

“Pretty much straight away, I think.” Karliah went back to rubbing soothing circles on Cassie’s hands as she retold the story she had already given to Dr Herman, her mother and Cassie’s mother, then to her dad, Markus’ dad and the alpha of Brandon’s pack. “He was pretty panicked, he used your phone to text me to meet him and then started throwing all this information at me about Brandon and that he had been picking on you for a long time and how he was crazy, possibly on drugs, definitely dangerous and almost certainly had kidnapped you. We assumed he had taken you to a cabin in the woods, one that he apparently took you to before, but once we finally found it we quickly realised you weren’t there. I was so scared Cass.” Her silver eyes were red-rimmed and dull, not the sparkling clear eyes Cassie was used to, she didn’t like it. “But we found his pack house,” Karliah nodded as she spoke, “and suddenly, I could feel you. I knew you were there. I could see things, hear things, even feel some things. I followed the link and found the basement under the parking garage, then it was a simple case of kicking the door down, beating Brandon within an inch of his life and untying you from all those messy knots he had you tied up with. And that’s how you got… here.” She gestured to the infirmary with a half-hearted wave.

“Where is… here?” Cassie croaked out, her eyes slowly raking over the small room, she definitely did not recognise it.

“My pack’s infirmary.” She mulled over the words for a moment before suddenly clamping a hand to her mouth, the urge to vomit hit her so suddenly it almost knocked her off the bed, she retched a couple of times but thankfully the clenching in her stomach passed without forcing anything up, good thing, Cassie thought, I don’t know what’s even in there to come up… Karliah had a cardboard bowl in her hands and placed it next to her, just in case. Cassie nodded her thanks.

“And… Where is… he?”

“Locked away on your pack’s territory,” Cassie let herself relax a little, the cells at her pack house were pretty grim but more importantly, very strong. Although she didn’t like the thought of him being so much as on the same continent as her family and friends, she trusted her pack’s guards to keep him locked away. “there was a bit of confusion as to who should get to take him as their prisoner though since there’s your current pack, my pack - which will soon be your pack -” A warm feeling spread through Cassie’s cheeks at the mention of joining Karliah’s pack, she felt silly, most subs moved into their dominants pack (if they weren’t in the same pack already) but she hadn’t given it much thought yet, it was all still so fresh and new with Karliah. “and Brandon’s pack who only want to keep him to try and minimise the embarrassment he’s brought to them.” Karliah’s expression was sour, her sharp brows pulling down and her mouth set in a grim line. Cassie wanted to kiss her nose so badly, to cheer her up in some way. “We agreed that since you’ll be moving in here anyway, your old pack should lock him away, that way he can’t get anywhere near you.”Cassie gave a small nod and winced at the sharp pain that gripped her neck and the back of her head. They sat in silence for a few minutes as her brain rattled through all the information Karliah had relinquished, trying to make sense of it, put it in some kind of order, alphabetise it, something. The room would suddenly disappear every now and again as her eyes dropped closed without her permission, she wanted to shake her head a little, clear it of the fog that was blocking every orifice. She could feel Karliah was watching her carefully, her eyes burning into the side of her head, and holding her hand like a delicate object that might shatter at any given moment.

“I…” Cassie’s voice was still barely a whisper, “I have another question…” speaking was painful, she wished she had a notepad and pen to write out all the questions she had, there were a lot more. She managed to turn her head just a little and look at Karliah fully again.

“Shoot.” She was watching her so intently Cassie had to fight a blush.

“Who the fuck is Florencia?” Her voice was stronger than it had been any time she had tried to speak in the last 48 hours.

“Oh, yeah.” Karliah sighed and rubbed her hands over her face and through the stray hairs sticking out of her head, plait prisoners making a break for freedom. “So, while you were out for the count, I was visited by Brandon’s mum and therapist,” Her voice turned harsh, almost growl-like. “fucking morons knew he was unstable - they knew!” Her fists were clenched and her face had morphed from worry to pure hatred as she stared at something near Cassie’s legs that the sub couldn’t see. She took a calming breath. “Brandon’s mate,” She paused to turn her head, watching Cassie’s face to monitor her expressions. “Florencia, was murdered only a few weeks after they met.” Cassie pulled the blanket up to her chin, suddenly feeling uncomfortable for some reason. “He never got the chance to mark or mate her. That kind of stuff could mess someone up but it’s not uncommon for a mate to pass away, what drove Brandon nutso was separating himself from his wolf, bit by bit.”

“Why would he do that?” Cassie squeaked, “Your wolf is there to guide you, to protect y-”

“Because his wolf didn’t agree with his obsession with you. Brandon couldn’t get over how similar you look to Florencia, apparently he confided in his therapist that at first he thought you were a hallucination. But then he became infatuated with the idea that you were Florencia, brought back, and the more he fought his wolf on the issue the more volatile he became.” Cassie would definitely agree that he became more and more volatile as time went on. “When he made sexual advances, tried to touch you or compliment you, that was Brandon seeing you as Florencia,” Karliah explained, playing with Cassie’s small fingers gently, running the tips of her much larger ones over the visible veins and creases. “and when he hurt you and lashed out and called you names, that was his wolf trying to push you away to stop the delusion from spreading. But the more they battled against each other inside of him the less control either of them had…” Again, they fell into a short, comfortable silence as Cassie processed things. She couldn’t imagine fighting against her wolf over anything, but she also couldn’t imagine losing Karliah, who knew what she would do without her. There was one thing that she needed to know though, if Karliah had spoken to Brandon’s mum and therapist about Florencia, maybe she had seen her.

“Do I… Do I really look like her?”

“Could be twins, babe.” Karliah’s voice was sad but she managed to keep her face neutral.

“That’s… So creepy.” Was all Cassie could muster.

“I… Have a photo if you want to see,” Karliah shifted uncomfortably, “I didn’t know if you would want to or not but I accepted it from Brandon’s mum just in case… I know you probably want to work on moving forward rather than dwelling on it, I just-”

“Karliah! Would you stop tip-toeing around me, please?” The curly haired girl let out an exasperated sigh and put a tiny hand out, “Well? Give me the photo.” Karliah passed a piece of card to her, it was barely A5 in size and showed two girls beaming at the camera in brightly coloured sun-dresses, their matching curly manes pressed together as they stood with arms wrapped around each other. “Wow.” Cassie muttered. The girl on the left… Cassie would have sworn it was her - her own mother would have! The resemblance was shocking, Cassie tried to think of something to say that wasn’t ‘OMG’ or ‘Shit.’ but nothing came to mind, instead she sat and stared.

~

“Babe… You okay?” Karliah whispered it as if she were speaking to a sleepwalker.

“Yeah.” Her breathless reply worried Karliah but she let the sub stare at the photo for a little while longer before trying to rip her out of her thoughts again,

“Do you… Want me to get you anything?” She leant in, gracing her fingers up her arm gently; she wanted so badly to touch her face but restrained herself: not only was she worried she might aggravate the cuts and bruises littering her beautiful face, she didn’t want to push her too hard too quickly. Cassie remained silent, staring at the photo. Karliah pulled in even more, studying the smaller girl’s face intently. “Baby?” She whispered. Cassie blinked and turned to her slowly, her expression dazed.

“N…No...”

“You don’t look sure, sweetness.” Karliah gave her a sad smile, “Why don’t we get you some food? Or at least something to drink?” Cassie blinked and grabbed the hand on her shoulder.

“D-Don’t go!” She whined, Karliah felt bad for feeling so attracted to the sound. She ran her hand up to the back of Cassie’s neck and rubbed at it,

“Of course not, baby.” She reassured, “I’ll have someone bring it to us.” Cassie tilted her head, her eyes heavy-lidded at the feeling of the hand massaging her neck. She seemed to relax a great deal at the knowledge that Karliah would stay by her side, the alpha tried not to enjoy it too much. “So I’m thinking… Some juice?”

“Mmm.” Karliah had no idea if that was affirmative or not but she continued anyway,

“And maybe some Lucozade to get your sugar levels up…” She continued to stroke at the soft skin.

”Mmm.” Cassie’s eyes were almost fully closed now, she reminded Karliah of a cat without the purring.

“And some fruit? Chocolate? I’ll have someone raid the pantry and bring anything that looks good.” This time she didn’t get an answer as her mate’s eyes slid shut. She sighed and pressed the call button, a few minutes later a nurse appeared at the door, “Could you bring some snacks and juice, please?” the nurse smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her. With Cassie asleep again, Karliah felt herself getting worked up again, without someone to be strong for she felt her anxiety rising again. If she couldn’t talk to Cassie, she wanted the next best thing: Sam. She wished they had at least let him in the room with them, as far as she was concerned, he was the hero of the hour, and yet he was still treated as though he were in the way by both Markus and his dad. He was waiting back at the Scarlett Moon pack house, where Markus had promised he would pass any news on, but Karliah didn’t trust Markus as far as Sam could throw him and had slipped the omega her own phone to call him if anything happened.

Karliah picked up the infirmary phone on the bedside table and pressed 9 to allow her to enter a non-ward number, she dialled her own. After barely two rings a soft voice answered,

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” She wondered if he was safe to talk, “Are you alone?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m in the laundry room, no one ever comes in here.” He whispered anyway and Karliah was glad, she didn’t want to get him in any more trouble, apparently his absence from class was being counted as truanting, while hers was being wiped, she had already made a note in her phone to speak to the head about that as soon as possible.

“Good, I don’t want you getting in trouble.” She took a deep breath, “She woke up.”

“Really?!” Sam’s voice became choked. “When?!”

“Just now, she was awake for maybe fifteen minutes, although she spent most of it fighting to keep her eyes open.” Karliah’s eyes flitted to Cassie’s own closed ones, the only area of her face that didn’t have some shade of bruising painted across it.

“Did she say anything?”

“Yeah, she was asking questions about what happened,” She sighed, playing with her baby hairs with her free hand. “her voice is all cracked up and strained though, I don’t know if it’s from screaming, dehydration or being choked but it barely sounds like her.”

“Oh god.” Sam breathed.

“I told her everything… she wanted to know…” She sighed again, “I was hoping she wouldn’t remember or at least wouldn’t ask…” She grumbled much more quietly, “I know that’s selfish.” under her breath.

“It’s normal, Karliah.” She could tell he still felt nervous saying her name but she was so happy he had made the switch, she didn’t think she would be as reassured by his words if he called her ‘m’am’ or ‘alpha’.  
  
“Thanks, Sam, for everything.” She wanted to cry again and had to take a harsh breath to hold herself together. “You are my hero, without you I would have lost everything.”

“It-it’s not a b-big deal, what kind of person wouldn’t have done the same thing?” He sounded flustered and embarrassed at the praise, he clearly wasn’t used to it coming from anyone but Cassie and even then Karliah knew he usually blushed and hid his face.

“Still, I owe you one.” She sniffed quietly. “Any time you need a favour, no matter how big or small, let me know.”

“Thanks.”

“That includes kicking Markus’ butt, anything you want.” She teased. Sam laughed,

“Hmm… I’ll definitely consider that.”

“Okay, but make that decision soon because I won’t be this full of raw rage forever, it’ll probably start to subside once Cassie gets out of here, and once that starts to go it won’t be a guaranteed win for me.” He laughed again, shaking his head to himself. “I’ll still fight him for you, I just might not win.” She added, smiling slightly despite herself.

“I’ll let you know.” Sam whispered, “Thanks for keeping me updated about Cassie.” she could hear the sound of a washing machine beeping to life on his end.

“Of course, I’ll call again the moment anything happens.” The alpha smiled despite herself, she was a mess and yet he was still getting his chores done, if the general public ever realised how strong omegas really were, they’d be screwed.

“Thank you, take care.”

“You too, bye.”

“Bye.”

~

Hands. Dirty, grubby hands pulling and scraping at her skin. No, she wanted to say, no. They pulled at her, nails cutting at her, fighting to pull her legs open. Her clothing morphed over body, different scraps disappearing and reappearing. Suddenly, she was fully naked, dirty, rough hands forcing her down, one clamping round her throat, choking the air out of her. She fought and fought but her oxygen depleted so quickly, her vision blacking around the edges.

Cassie awoke with a violent gasp, her body struggling against the heavy hospital blankets. Karliah , who had been fast asleep, slumped in the hard plastic chair beside her, leapt a foot in the air, throwing her body forward to grab at the offending material and messily pulling it from Cassie’s body, tossing it off the end of the bed. Both froze, blinking and taking in their surroundings slowly, Cassie’s heavy, panting breaths ringing through the room.

“Sweetness.” Karliah whispered, still leant over the bed.

“Yes?” Cassie breathed, allowing her body to slowly lower back into the mattress. Her voice was still hoarse but she ignored it.

“Are you… Okay?” The alpha stood straight stiffly, still struggling to clear her head fully.

“Ye-yeah.” Cassie murmured, “I…” she tried to pull herself up a little but gave up quickly when pain shot through her limbs, she hissed through her teeth and clamped her eyes closed. In barely a second, Karliah was at her side, clasping one of her hands firmly.

“Baby, tell me where it hurts.”

“Ugh, everywhere.” Cassie grunted before sighing and dragging her eyes open. She suddenly retched, her hands snapping up to her mouth until the feeling passed. Karliah had another cardboard bowl in her hand in an instant. Cassie took a slow breath, “Please…Can you pull me up so I can sit properly?” she whispered.

“Of course.” Strong, muscled arms wrapped around her torso with incredible tenderness, lifting her carefully so that her back rested against the pillows comfortably. She fluffed the pillows carefully behind her and tucked a curl round her ear.

“I think my head is about to explode…” Cassie groaned, reaching out to clasp Karliah’s hand in her own and squeeze it.

“I’m sorry, baby.” Karliah whispered.

“Don’t.” Cassie mumbled, “I’ve said it already but it’s not your fault.” she pressed the hand to her cheek softly, enjoying the warmth but fighting a wince at the pain that pinched at the bruise there. “Goddess, my head is pounding…”

“Your vitals were looking much better this morning.” Karliah offered, although she sounded almost embarrassed offering such a measly consolation. She sighed tiredly. “I know I’m not the one who needs comforting right now, but fuck did you scare me yesterday.” She watched Cassie carefully as her free hand massaged at her temple. Cassie simply gave her a sad look in reply. “First they thought you might have internal bleeding but just as you were cleared for that they began to worry abut why you weren’t waking back up, then they found that lump on the back of your head and they said you might have slipped into a coma and then they scanned you and then we had to wait so long for them to look over the scan and then they said you had a concussion but they didn’t know how severe and they were reeling off all these different things that could occur and what I should do and what to look out for-”

“Karliah.” The three syllables cut off the alpha’s ramble instantly and she turned to Cassie, her eyes wide and worried. “You did well, everything’s fine.” Cassie croaked in her best attempt at a soothing tone, she didn’t know if she believed it, but it looked like Karliah needed to hear it as she took a deep breath and relaxed into her seat, her expression much more like her old self. “You saved me.” Apparently though, that was the wrong thing to say as Karliah’s already sharp eyes hardened into knife-like slits.

“From what?” She huffed. “There wasn’t much he hadn’t already done when I got there…”

“Don’t say that,” Cassie whispered, “he was going go further, I remember him telling me he was going to mark me,” Karliah winced and looked away angrily. “he said he was going to mate me and make me carry his children…” She scrunched up her face. “But, I think he would have killed me first.” Cassie admitted.

“Maybe.” Karliah conceded.

“Definitely.” Said Cassie.

~

Nightmares continued to plague Cassie, accompanied by panic attacks that seemed to flare out of nowhere, forcing her to freeze in fear, analysing the room for ways to escape, places to hide. By the third day she had multiple hiding spots and escape routes planned in her head, she obsessed over them when the anxiety began to bubble, finding comfort in the constant repetition of thoughts that she was prepared, she knew every inch of the room, she was prepared, she would see someone before they reached her, she was prepared, Karliah was there. Cassie was more than grateful that Karliah never left her side, but she wanted more. Karliah hardly touched her, and never with any force, she needed the touch of her mate to feel safe but her mate was too anxious herself. Cassie had yet to complain about it but she didn’t know how much longer she could go without a firm hug, a kiss or even a cheeky pinch to her bottom - something.

She could move more easily than before, although her limbs still ached and her top speed was a clumsy shuffle. The bruises were still dark but nothing was broken so she supposed she should be grateful… She was visited twice a day by Dr Herman, who was much more concerned with her mental well-being than her physical, she seemed to know there was something looming over her despite her refusing to talk about it…She was given the number of the pack therapist and told to call when she was ready to talk but she hadn’t had the energy to pick up the phone yet, let alone revisit the terror she went through just days before. Karliah had already had a session with her, while Sam watched over Cassie.

She wondered if Karliah had told her about the anxiety, her body freezing up, finding her hiding under the bed or clawing at the lock on the window… Or maybe she would just see the crazy in Cassie’s eyes, Cassie herself saw it in the bathroom mirror every time she entered, the dark bags hanging from her lower lids, the red vines running wild round the whites of her eyes, her eyes used to have a glint to them… She used to think they sparkled… Now she just looked shifty and nervous all the time. She could tell it was putting Karliah on edge, she treated her like a delicate, expensive trinket, but that wasn’t what Cassie wanted. She appreciated the effort, but she didn’t want Karliah to avoid touching her, to give her space, to be constantly doubting herself. What would make her feel truly safe, Cassie knew, was to be wrapped tightly in Karliah’s arms, with Karliah being her dominating, alpha self, so confident that you just wanted to agree with her no matter what. But Karliah was too scared of triggering a panic attack, her actions reminding Cassie of what was done to her.

By the end of day three, Cassie had had enough. They needed to be able to communicate, they were spending the rest of their lives together, if she couldn’t voice her grievances, they wouldn’t last a year. With that in mind, Cassie turned her head to her mate with a stern expression on her face.

“Karliah.” She snapped.

“Yes?” The alpha responded innocently, sitting up straighter in her chair like a child who had just been called upon by the teacher.

“I need you.” Cassie whined, “Treating me like a delicate doll isn’t helping, it just makes me more anxious.” she sighed. “I want you to be you, confident, cocky and most importantly - touchy! You have no idea how much I just want you to squish me in your arms. The old you holds a calming force for me, I feel safe when you are wrapped around me, not when you’re scared to touch me because you’re worried I might break. You’re all waiting for something to trigger me all the time, you’re suffocating me with loneliness and stress. What I need, what will truly help me recover mentally, is you.” Karliah bit her lip. She rose from her seat and unhooked the bar on the side of the bed, lowering it carefully and climbing in beside Cassie, pulling her close. The relief and happiness Cassie felt could barely be contained by her tiny body, she shimmied up and wrapped all of her limbs around Karliah like a limpet. Karliah was stiff for a moment, still waiting for something maybe, for her mate to cry and push her away and climb under her bed, when Cassie’s body had fully melted against hers she seemed to let herself relax too, albeit much more slowly.

“You are my entire world, you know that?” Karliah mumbled into the crown of her head.

“Mmm.” Cassie smiled, her eyes closed as she finally felt safe enough to let herself rest. “You’re mine too though.” She added. She couldn’t help but feel that Karliah didn’t understand that she had been worrying just as much about her, she hadn’t been herself since Cassie awoke and it made her tummy tight thinking that she might not get her cheeky mate back. She got only a hum in reply but it was good enough for now, she let herself drift away, no longer as afraid of her nightmares when she knew she would wake up in Karliah’s arms.

~

The next day Cassie had her first session with the therapist. The woman was kind and gentle but not overpowering, she let Cassie talk in chunks and in her own time and at the end of the ninety-minute talk she gave her some tasks to do over the next day or two until she was ready to see her again. She had advised that Cassie see her at least once a week but otherwise left it up to her to decide when and how often. When she returned to her room in the medical building, Karliah was waiting anxiously for her.

“Hey.” She croaked, her already hoarse voice had been pushed to its limits talking for an hour and a half.

“Hey.” Karliah stood and walked to her hesitantly, Cassie threw herself into her mate’s arms full force, she was desperate to show her what she wanted, to be treated normally by her. Karliah returned the hug at half-strength before stepping away, holding Cassie’s forearms in the most tender of grips.

One of her homework tasks was to list the emotions she was feeling and then compare them with her mate, she had expressed annoyance to the therapist at Karliah’s inability to understand how she felt - they were working on two different frequencies (although Karliah was only trying to do what she thought was best) and so she had been told they needed to be absolutely clear with each other, express their own feelings and anxieties and understand why the other was acting the way they were. Cassie explained the assignment to Karliah as she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and climbed on the bed, patting the other end to invite her on to it. Karliah climbed on and sat carefully.

Cassie began with her first emotion being ‘anxiety’, writing in her column neatly.

“I feel anxious when you treat me so carefully, it makes it feel like there’s still something to be afraid of, something else that can… that can go wrong!” Karliah nodded, scrunching her mouth to the side. ‘Anxiety’ was added to her column too.

“I feel anxious too, and that’s why I’m so scared to touch you… I do feel like there’s still something to be afraid of… I’m afraid of traumatising you further.” It was Cassie’s turn to nod thoughtfully and she wrote ‘Safe’ on her side. “I didn’t know ‘safe’ was an emotion.” Karliah teased gently.

“Shush. I feel safe when you’re holding me, I don’t feel scared of my bad dreams any more, I don’t feel the urge to check the locks on the doors or hide in weird places. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t take it all away but it does a lot to soothe the anxiety.”

“I feel inadequate. As much as it strokes my ego that I make you feel safe, I don’t feel that I can keep you safe any more, and that scares me.”

“You saved me. For that, I feel grateful.” She added it to the list.

“Too late. For that, I feel regretful.” Karliah scrawled her own addition.

“I feel…. upset that you’re so hard on yourself for something that was completely out of your control.”

“I feel out of control, and it’s not something I’m used to feeling… I have never questioned myself this much in my life…”

“I feel hopeful.”

“Why’s that?”

“Hopeful of our future, now that Brandon is in prison I feel like I can finally focus on the important things, like us.” Karliah finally grinned although she was looking down at the sheets beneath her rather than at Cassie, it was still a beautiful sight that she had missed and she soaked up every second of its presence.

“I feel hopeful for us too.” The alpha admitted.

They continued listing emotions until they couldn’t think of any more and switched to listing hopes for the future, a topic they enjoyed much more now that they understood each other a little better. Cassie knew things probably wouldn’t ever be the same as before, but that hope of hers extended pretty far…

~

“Absolutely not.” Karliah spoke sternly, although she found it increasingly hard as Cassie’s face crumpled. “Your body is still black and blue, you need your rest and I don’t want you to be paraded about in front of all of those people when they are already desperate for gossip, they’ll spend the whole night talking about us, and for what?” Cassie’s bottom lip wobbled and the alpha could already feel herself caving. “I will give you your own ball, Cassie.” She promised. “Identical or better.”

“I want to be with everyone else.” Cassie whispered, fighting tears.

“You can invite them all to the ball I will throw for you.”

“I want…” Cassie’s lip did that awful, heart-clenching wobble again, “I want to feel normal.” A good ten seconds passed before Karliah groaned and pinched her nose. It turns out there are downsides to having a mate - you can’t say no to them.

“Fine.” She conceded with a sigh. “But you don’t leave my side, I mean it, Cassie.” Her little mate lit up, shining through her bruises. The dance was only a night away… She would still look like she had been hit by a truck when they arrived.

~

Cassie sucked in a deep, nervous breath, clenching her hands around Karliah’s arm, she could feel the tight corded muscles even through her long-sleeved shirt and blazer, she was anxious. That makes two of us, Cassie thought. It was almost a week since the ‘incident’, in six days she had healed well for the most part, but the marks were not as quick to take their leave.

Karliah pushed the doors open with one hand, leading her in slowly. The room was covered from top to bottom in decorations, over-stuffed with blue ribbons, white paper lanterns, glittering foil snowflakes and snow spray on every window around the huge hall.

As one pair of eyes landed on them, many more followed until in a matter of moments, every pair of eyes in the room was fixated on the pair. Cassie stood up slightly straighter as she glided in at Karliah’s side, her forest-green, floor-length gown grazing the floor and swirling around her legs, flashing patches of bruised skin all the way to her thigh where the slit ended. The pair paused in front of their audience, Cassie peeked up at her mate nervously and felt a wave of calming warmth when she saw the proud and confident expression on her face. It felt as though every person in the room was holding their breath, Cassie herself included. A loud sound suddenly broke through the silence, Cassie’s head snapped to the side and a small smile crept onto her face, Charles stood out from the crowd, clapping loudly. Sam was quick to join him, as were the rest of their friends. Like an infectious disease, the applause spread through the student body. Cassie blushed and hid her face in Karliah’s chest, hiding her relieved smile, they shuffled over to their friends, greeting them warmly with hugs and smiles. Aminali and Jasper hugged her together tightly, although both were quick to apologise when they pressed on the purple splotches decorating her arms and chest, Hanmi gave her a one-armed hug, her other hand held by Damien who offered an awkward smile, Sam squished her between his arms as though he hadn’t seen her in years, it certainly felt like he hadn’t. Cassie winced at the pressure on her sore body but couldn’t complain, she needed it too. He looked incredibly handsome in his suit, it fit him perfectly, accentuating his slim frame in all the right ways.

Soon the students had returned to their cliques and their dancing and Karliah pulled Cassie away gently, pressing their bodies together and placing butterfly kisses on her forehead. Cassie smiled and basked in the love being showered over her. The hands around her waist felt secure and comforting, leading her back and forth in a simple dance, Cassie sighed happily into her chest, her own arms clinging to the taller girl’s shoulders. The songs melted into each other, neither of them paying too much attention to them.

A gentle tap on Karliah’s arm brought them both out of their thoughts,

“May I have a dance with our guest of honour?” Charles asked, Sam hovering beside him.

“Only if I can have Sam.” Karliah grinned, although she had yet to release Cassie from her side. Sam blushed but nodded, relinquishing his grip on Charles’ sleeve. Karliah gave Cassie’s back a gentle rub, slid her hands down her arms and lead her forward, placing her hand into Charles’ own outstretched palm. Cassie smiled and stepped up to him, placing her other hand on the crook of his elbow and allowing herself to be swept away, Charles’ arm touching her lower back delicately, he was shorter than Karliah and it was strange at first for her eyes to be level with his collar bone rather than her breasts. He lead her round gracefully and without hesitation, he was clearly confident in his ability and she wondered where he learned to dance. Cassie smiled up at him and he returned the look, they glanced over to Karliah and Sam, both beaming wider at the sight. With Sam’s height being a couple of inches lower than Cassie’s, Karliah’s arm didn’t sit quite right round his lower back but they danced beautifully all the same, Sam struggling to maintain eye-contact for more than fifteen seconds at a time but that didn’t stop Karliah grinning encouragingly at him, her hands guiding him with a tenderness that he probably didn’t experience often from alphas. They twirled about until the end of the song and traded partners, Charles leading Karliah to one side elegantly while Cassie and Sam wrapped their arms around each other and swayed like a pair of toddlers having an enthusiastic cuddle.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Cassie whispered.

“What’s that then?” Sam asked curiously, tilting his head back just a little to see her better.

“About you staying away from Charles,” She explained. “I was wrong. He’s a really nice guy… I think he likes you…” The music picked up and they bobbed around faster, still resembling a pair of hostages tied to together and searching for an escape.

“I’d like to hope so-” Sam began to joke.

“Not as a friend, Sam.”

“Oh.” Although the dim lighting in the room hid it well, Cassie could tell he was blushing.

“I’ve been thinking-” She began.

“That’s worrying.”

“Shush,” She laughed, it hurt her throat a little but she ignored it. “I’ve been thinking, all you have to do is make it through the academy, get your education, and you could just disappear with him.” She gave a small, hopeful smile.

“You shouldn’t say stuff like that…” He looked away awkwardly.

“He would take you home with him given half a chance.” She persisted, leaning to the side to catch his eyes. Sam sighed and Cassie was surprised to see he looked upset, his voice was raspy when he whispered,

“You’re only going to make it worse when he leaves and I can’t go with him.” he sniffed and looked away again.

“So you’ve been thinking the same thing?” Cassie pushed but Sam just grumbled something to himself, clearly embarrassed. “He’ll leave but he won’t be far, we’ll stay in touch…” She tried to be reassuring but he didn’t look convinced. “It’s possible.”

“Cassie…” His voice was stern now and she took the hint to drop the subject.

“Okay, let’s just enjoy tonight then.”

When the song finished they traded once again, reuniting Cassie and Karliah.

“What do you think of Charles?” Cassie whispered, excited to gossip.

“He seems like a sweet guy, gentlemanly…”

“Yeah.” Cassie agreed, although she hoped Karliah would continue, give her something juicy.

“And crushing on Sam so hard it’s almost painful to see.” Karliah kept her voice low but Cassie ruined the inconspicuousness when she squealed, Karliah clamped a hand over her mouth and spun her away to the other side of the dance floor, away from the now-far-too-interested ears.

“I knew it!” Cassie stage whispered, “Sam doesn’t believe me…”

“Maybe that’s for the best, it’s better for it to dwindle early before it gets too serious, Sam has a mate.” Cassie pulled a disgruntled expression and looked away. “What?” Karliah laughed.

“I don’t like Sam’s mate.” She huffed.

“Why not?”

“Treats him like shit.” Cassie mumbled.

“I had an idea that things weren’t right,” Karliah’s smile tightened into a grim line. “but how bad are we talking here?”

“Calling him names, knocking him around… He’s always crying and bruised…” Karliah growled into the crown of Cassie’s head. “I just… I’d prefer for him to end up with someone like Charles, someone who cares about him and who would love him and treat him like a prince.” Karliah ‘hmm’d, rubbing soothing circles onto Cassie’s back with her hand.

“Will you tell me who his mate is?” She asked. Cassie considered the question for a minute,

“Sam gave me permission to tell you when he visited me on the ward…” Karliah seemed to have made quite the impression on Sam on their vigilante mission, Cassie had never seen him so trusting of a dominant before, especially an alpha. He had been gushing about her as he sat beside Cassie on the hard blue chair. “but I’m worried you’ll do something to get him in trouble if I tell you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t… Don’t go getting in his face, telling him off or anything like that, you’ll only make it worse for Sam.”

“Is that how you and your little friends see me?” Karliah tried to look offended but couldn’t hold it long before grinning again.

“Little friends?” Cassie pulled her own, much more exaggerated mock-shock expression.

“You’re all under five and a half feet, that’s little!” Laughed Karliah.

“They’re your friends too!”

“You’re avoiding the original question.” Cassie sighed and pulled herself up onto her tip-toes,

“It’s Markus.” she whispered. She watched Karliah’s face nervously, the change from the mildest of surprise to anger and then to muted annoyance. Karliah gave a stiff nod but said no more on the matter. Cassie didn’t know if that was a good sign or not.

They danced for a couple more hours, swapping partners within their friend group occasionally although Cassie preferred to be in the arms of her mate, where she felt safest. The pair left earliest from the group, Karliah carrying Cassie out to her car bridal-style and placing her inside, pulling her seatbelt across for her. Five minutes into the journey back to her pack house, Cassie fell asleep.

~

It had been three weeks since the attack when Cassie’s body had finally fully healed, even the most stubborn bruises that had hung on until they were yellow-brown were gone. She had been working on her inner healing too, seeing the therapist once a week alone and once a week with Karliah for couples counselling.

They had agreed that Cassie would take it easy and rest as much as possible to ease Karliah’s worries, in exchange, Karliah had been ordered not to blame herself for what had happened. Cassie didn’t know if that had worked but she was determined to prove that she was doing well. The hardest part for Karliah had been intimacy, hugs were given when asked for and she would hold her hand of her own free will but getting anything like a kiss or, god forbid, some sexy time was apparently out of the question. What Cassie found most difficult about this was that she had moved into Karliah’s bedroom two weeks earlier and they shared her double bed every night. Cassie felt herself going crazy and had voiced her frustration at the joint therapy session that day.

“We don’t know what might trigger a panic attack or flashbacks or even hallucinations!” Karliah had exclaimed. The therapist wouldn’t take a side but did offer the advice that they would struggle to stay away from each other forever and that perhaps they should set an amount of time between them that they both felt was appropriate to wait. Karliah’s suggestion of ‘wait and see what happens’ was shot down immediately by Cassie. Eventually, after twenty minutes of discussion, they whittled it down to another three weeks, Cassie marked the day on the calendar in her phone right then and there.

~

The next three weeks passed identically to the previous three with the exception that Cassie had returned to school (although she was given a lot of time for free study at first so she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed). Cassie had been counting down the days until their ‘due date’ and that Saturday morning she took a long shower, pampering and prettying herself before changing into a light, flowing dress and marching to Karliah’s office (she had been told it was technically Karliah’s father’s office but she had never seen him set foot in the door), when she entered, Karliah was sitting at her desk tapping away at her laptop, her face pinched in focus. At the sound of Cassie entering, she looked up and smiled.

“Hey, babe.”

“Hey.” Cassie replied, she folded her arms over her chest in an attempt to look strict.

“What’s up?” Karliah’s expression had turned to curious amusement as she looked her up and down.

“It’s been exactly three weeks.” Both their eyebrows raised, Cassie’s to drive her point home, Karliah’s in surprise.

“Oh.” She rooted around her desk for a second, “Look, sweetheart, I just have so much wo-” Cassie cut her off sharply.

“Don’t even try it.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Yeeeeessss.” Cassie whined, stomping one foot weakly. “Don’t you want to mark me?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then hurry up.” She winked and disappeared out the door, skipping away to their bedroom. She heard Karliah’s familiar chuckle behind her and sped up. The footsteps behind her did too. She increased her speed again, running almost full-pelt. An arm snaked itself round her waist and snatched her up, she laughed as she was thrown over her mate’s shoulder, gripping her top tightly in her small fists. She couldn’t help the giggle that burst from her throat when Karliah booted their door open and kicked it shut behind her, she had been worried that her mate truly didn’t want to get intimate with her but clearly that wasn’t the case.

The door was locked with a fumbling free hand and Cassie was pressed against the wall beside it. Karliah froze, her hands either side of the smaller girl.

“I-” She started, stumbled and stopped for a moment. “My wolf has just realised what’s about to happen and I feel like it’s literally vibrating inside of me, that’s so lame.” She laughed at herself and ran a hand through her baby hairs, smoothing them down. Cassie reached up and tucked a few more behind her ears, dragging her fingers down her sharp jaw and pulling her chin down to connect their lips. “Mmmm.” Karliah nipped at her lips, asking for permission to enter, she parted them easily and allowed the alpha’s tongue to push in, sliding over her own gently. Hands climbed into Cassie’s hair, intertwining with her curls and tugging her in closer. When they broke apart for air, Cassie gasped,

“Don’t pussyfoot around,” Karliah gave her a questioning look. “I miss when you were rough with me, desperate to touch me… Be you, please.”

“I don’t know if I could hold myself back if I tried,” Karliah added with a growl, “and I won’t.” Cassie shivered, arousal pooling between her legs. Their lips smashed together again, sucking and biting hungrily now, their hands roaming freely over each other’s bodies. Karliah rubbed and pinched at Cassie’s breasts and the smaller girl mimicked her, getting her first squeeze of her mate’s small, perky boobs. “N-No one’s ever touched…” She didn’t think she had ever seen Karliah blush before, the rose colour curled round her sharp cheekbones cutely.

“Your boobs?” Cassie smiled, rubbing her thumbs in soft circles over the front of them.

“Yeah.” Karliah laughed awkwardly.

“Can I see them?”

“Like-” The blonde froze for a moment. “Oh…” She took her hands away from Cassie’s body to fiddle with the bottom of her own top, a simple grey short-sleeved t-shirt. “Yeah.” She pulled up the bottom, revealing her tight, toned abs, then up to her sports bra and finally over her head, tossing it away, she pulled up her bra in the same manner and threw it away too. She looked nervous as she lowered her arms down but Cassie pretended not to notice as she reached out, palming at the pretty pink nipples.

“They’re so perfectly shaped.” Jealousy tinged Cassie’s voice.

“That’s because they’re man-made.” Karliah laughed nervously. “The scars are super ugly…” She muttered, clearly nervous of what Cassie’s reaction would be. Cassie frowned and lifted them gently, peering under at the small pink lines running in the crease of the taller girl’s under-boob.

“No, they’re not.”She objected, “They’re small and neat.”

“You don’t mind them?”

“Of course not! How shallow do you think I am?” She stuck her tongue out cheekily and pinched at the blonde’s nipples, “Now hurry up and fuck me.” Karliah gasped softly but returned the affection, pulling Cassie in close and planting kisses all over her face and quickly down her throat. “Mmmm.” Cassie continued to play with her breasts, memorising what earned her the best sounds from her mate. Hands crept under her skirt and her thighs trembled, her underwear was sticking to her vulva from the arousal that had soaked her. Karliah used her body to press her even more tightly against the wall and yanked her knickers off in a quick swipe. Cassie gasped. The offending lace panties were chucked away with Karliah’s top and bra and the thick fingers parted her lips, stroking her. Cassie mewled, spreading her legs slightly, the lack of friction was allowing the fingers to run over her so easily, so freely, the sparks of pleasure rippled through her too quickly to give her brain enough time to fully process it. “Oh, yes!” Karliah slid her fingers back and forth through Cassie's slick juices, rubbing at her clit excitedly.

"First," She growled, "I'm going to fuck you." Cassie tried to respond but only managed a breathy moan. She shoved one finger deep inside the warm wet hole and the sub let out a gasp. Karliah chuckled at her reaction and began to pump her fingers in and out gently but Cassie's moans soon spurred her on. "Then, I'm going to mark you." She murmured against the smaller girl's neck. Cassie blushed but couldn't concentrate on the words when the finger - now fingers - were distracting her so much. She moaned wantonly against Karliah's chest. "And then," The alpha whispered before ripping off the top half of Cassie's dress with one hand and using the other to pin her by the throat. "I'm going to collar you - So they all know you're mine." Cassie shuddered in pleasure, not just at the feeling of the fingers playing with her clit, but at the possessive words coming from her mate’s mouth.

“B-bed, please.” She whispered, her face felt hot and she didn’t want to think about how red she looked. Karliah pulled her fingers out and wrapped her arm around Cassie’s waist, lifting her easily and carrying her to the bed, plopping her down on the edge with a greedy grin. The rest of her dress was dragged off and she joined in, pulling her bra off messily with a grin. Now fully naked, Cassie spread herself out on the bedding as Karliah’s fingers began to slip in and out much more easily. Cassie reached down between her legs and began fumbling with with the button on Karliah’s trousers. It wouldn’t pop open that easily and eventually the blonde had to intervene and pull it open, allowing the material to drop to her ankles and stepping out of it easily. With her prize now so close, Cassie began to play with it through the soft boxer-briefs her mate wore, feeling far too much pride at the sticky precum that had soaked a circle into the front of them. “I’m ready, Karliah.” She whispered.

“Are you sure?” Karliah pulled her fingers out but didn’t make a move to unveil her cock, “If you feel even the slightest bit anxious just say and we can stop.”

“I want it!”

“But what if you get reminded of him?”

“You could never remind me of him.”

“Please, Cassie, promise you’ll say something if you get any kind of weird feeling, I don’t want to traumatise you any more.” Cassie sighed in exasperation.

“I promise, the only weird feeling I have right now is confusion as to why my mate doesn’t want to wreck my vagina.”

“One order of vagina wreckage coming up.” Karliah laughed with a wink, slipping down her underwear and kicking it aside. Cassie laughed too, but only for a few moments as Karliah lined herself up and slammed in so suddenly the smaller girl could only drop her mouth and pinch her eyes closed. Karliah groaned. It was the most beautiful sound Cassie had ever heard, she whimpered in reply. With her eyes closed, Cassie felt everything much more intensely, the hands pulling her back and forth by her thick thighs, the hot breaths on her forehead and the stretch of her muscles being pushed to their limit. She moaned, high and whiny at the fullness, barely three thrusts in and she already felt like an extension of her mate’s body, like she should have been born attached to her.

“Oh god!” She cried, pulling at the bedding beneath her. Karliah pressed their foreheads together,

“What is it baby?” she whispered. Sweat was already forming on both their brows as they pushed back against each other with increasing impatience.

“D-don’t stop!” Cassie exclaimed. “Please, please don’t stop.” She managed to pull her eyes open to look up at her mate, her incredible, strong, gorgeous mate, leaning over her with a look of ecstasy on her face as she pounded into her. “Ah-Ah!” The speed increased and Karliah became rougher, squeezing Cassie’s thighs more tightly and ramming her down onto her hard dick. “Fuck!” Cassie panted, her legs were spread as far as she could push them but she wanted more, she lifted them to hook around Karliah’s toned waist, interlocking her ankles. The room felt as though it were getting hotter, Cassie moaned again, her eyes glazed and her mind clouded over in lust. Each hit made her cunt clench, she was dripping all over the bedding but she didn’t care, she needed more. More. More. More. Karliah grunted as her hips increased speed, slamming Cassie into the mattress and ripping a gasp from the smaller girl’s throat. “Oh god! Please! Yes!” Their bodies were curled into each other’s now, trying to press every inch of skin together. Karliah finally dipped her mouth to Cassie’s neck, sucking her way up and down, tasting the skin.

“Are you ready, baby?” She murmured into the crook of her neck. Cassie whined, pulling Karliah in deeper with her feet. She was ready. She wanted her mate’s mark emblazoned on her skin, she wanted them all to know who her mate was, who she was. She released the bedding from her tiny hands and wrapped them around Karliah’s broad shoulders.

“Please,” She whispered. “mark me.” Karliah’s hips never slowed as she dove down with vicious force, clamping the sensitive skin in her teeth. Their wolves went crazy, howling and running around wildly inside of them, and their bodies followed suit as both girls came so hard they were momentarily blinded. Cassie managed a scream before her body went into spasm, her small muscles unable to cope with the strain of the orgasm wracking her body. Karliah’s thrusts began to stutter until her whole body had clenched up and she couldn’t move, waves of pleasure hitting her as she unloaded into her mate. The only movement she could manage was to continue sucking on the spot she had trapped between her teeth, and as long she kept mouthing at that area, Cassie kept coming. Tears streamed down the subs face and her words were jumbled and unclear, barely more than whimpers and whines as she shook uncontrollably, the pleasure crashing through her too forcefully.

When Karliah eventually released her hold on Cassie’s neck, the pair both slumped instantly, their energy drained beyond comprehension. Cassie could barely find the energy to breathe, her eyes closed and her limbs strewn around her. Karliah pulled herself aside, her fear of squashing her mate greater than her exhaustion, and took a moment to admire the black symbol etched into Cassie’s caramel skin, a circle with interlocked lines forming an ancient rune that to a human would seem like just another pretty tattoo, maybe they would think it was a celtic symbol, maybe they would think it was some old druid sign, but to any wolf that passed this five-foot three-inch, curly-haired beauty, it was a warning - this woman was taken and by an alpha no less. With the wonderful image of her marked mate in her head, Karliah too succumbed to her fatigue, allowing her eyes to droop closed, pulling herself around her baby in a protective cocoon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! (For book 1) 
> 
> I have the prologue for book 2 written so I'll post that pretty quickly but I haven't picked a title yet... Any suggestions? 
> 
> Also! Check out my tumblr for art of the characters of Make Me Beg ~ LaDeeDa-Writes.tumblr.com


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